Of Shadow And Light
by Switchblade X
Summary: Chapter 14--Everyone must face their fears...
1. Rain

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 1

Rain

by Switchblade X

"I hate rain."

"Yeah, we know. Dat's the tenth time you've said dat in da last six minutes!" Rattrap shook his head, "I'm gettin' sick 'a dis, too. It's been rainin' for four days, now!"

Cheetor sighed, switching from one camera's view to another. The one thing he hated more than rain was monitor duty. "I wish we didn't have monitor duty."

"Me, too."

"I mean, the Preds haven't moved since the rain began! Why watch the monitors when you _know _that nothing is going to happen?"

"And how, exactly, do you know what Megatron is doing?" Dinobot asked upon entering the command center.

Cheetor turned to look at him, "I'm just guessing-"

"Precisely! For all you know, Megatron might be plotting an attack that would annihilate us all. Guessing has a tendency to kill." He transformed, and headed towards the elevator, claws clicking against the metal floor.

"An' jus' _where_ do you tink you're goin'?" Rattrap asked.

"Out." Dinobot answered, disappearing down the elevator shaft as thunder roared outside, echoing through the base.

Cheetor sighed, returning his attention to the monitors. "I hate rain."

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High above the Earth's atmosphere, a blue rift opened, and a Starhopper popped out. The ship paused for a moment, almost like it was disoriented. Then, it headed for the green and blue planet that loomed in front of it.

Inside the Starhopper, two red optics flared to life. The sole inhabitant of the ship sighed in relief, glad that the little craft had managed to get through the rift in one piece. Black fingers danced over the controls, calling up readouts on atmospheric conditions.

The ship was headed into a storm. And the only way to avoid it was to change course completely, risking the possibility of getting lost.

_Damn._ the pilot thought. _Is nothing ever easy? …Well, no matter. I've flown worse ships through tighter spots. This little Starhopper should be able to make it. …Hmmm… Which raises the next question; since this ship isn't mine, how do I know what it can and can't do?_

The clouds darkened rather quickly, and lightning began to dance between them.

Quickly, the pilot rerouted all of the available power to the shields. _Here we go._ The already dim lights of the cockpit went out completely, leaving only the controls just barely illuminated.

Carefully, the Starhopper maneuvered between the thunderheads, narrowly missing a bolt of lightning. The pilot's hands flew over the controls, making minor adjustments to the coordinates. _Easy now…_

Lightning struck the shield.

For one horrible moment, the ship stopped, shaking violently as the translucent shield flashed blue and disappeared. And then, a second later, the shield returned, albeit severely weakened.

Alarms were going off inside the cockpit, merely stating the obvious. Still, though, that didn't mean that the pilot was ignoring them. _That was entirely too close. One more hit like that and I'm as good as fried._

Hail began to bounce off of the shield and the wind picked up, jostling the ship around even more. _Evidently, The Powers That Be don't want me to land in one piece._ the pilot decided, trying desperately to stabilize the Starhopper. Needless to say, it wasn't happening. _If I could just break through this thunderhead, I might make it out okay, provided I don't exit into the eye of a tornado. …With the way my luck's been going lately, that'll probably be exactly where I'll end up._

Again, lightning flashed before the little ship, momentarily blinding the pilot. That brief blindness proved to be a fatal mistake.

The lightning struck again, this time penetrating the shield and connecting with the metal hull of the ship.

Sparks flew from the control panel, as the ship's entire network of systems was fried to little more than a crisp. The hull along with several other compartments, and part of the cockpit burst into flames. And then, the fall began.

On the brink of panic, the pilot desperately tried to get the main computer back online. There was no such luck to be had.

The clouds went streaming by, and soon, the flaming Starhopper broke through the barrier, only to be swallowed up by the wind and rain of a violent thunderstorm.

After several minutes of trying to get the computer back online, the pilot gave up. Admitting defeat, the pilot reached down and picked up a small pouch that had been sitting against a nearby bulkhead, then fastened the chair's safety belt.

The ground began to rush up at the ship faster and faster, as the moment of impact drew near.

The red optics darkened, as the pilot prepared to die.

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Dinobot stood on an outcropping, watching the storm unleash its fury on the defenseless Earth. Water ran in miniature rivers down his body, but he paid it no attention.

Something began to roar above him.

Expecting to see a funnel cloud, the Maximal warrior was stunned to see a fireball heading straight for him. "What the Pit…?" he started, zooming in on the oncoming projectile.

It was a Maximal Starhopper! And from the looks of things, it wasn't going to land gently.

He hit the dirt as the dieing ship screamed by overhead, crashing into the forest below and leaving a trench that was a quarter of a mile long and several feet deep.

Nothing could have possibly survived that crash. Dinobot knew this, but for some reason, he found himself climbing down the face of the outcropping, and running as fast as he could towards the wreck. Part of him wondered why he was doing this, but was quickly dismissed. He had an obligation as a Maximal to at least search for survivors or corpses. Optimus would have his hide if he didn't.

The Starhopper lay in several different pieces, all of which were still ablaze. Somehow, though, the cockpit had remained mostly intact even after it had separated from the cargo hold. If there were any bodies to recover, the cockpit would be a good place to start.

As he approached, Dinobot ran a quick scan over the wreckage. According to the results of the scan, there was only one life form aboard. Cautiously approaching the cockpit, he saw a crumpled form in the pilot's chair, still strapped in. He transformed, and looked for a way to get in.

There was a decent sized hole where the cockpit had separated. It would have to do.

Quickly, reminding himself that the engines probably still had fuel in them and would likely explode any second now, Dinobot entered the cockpit, and removed the pilot from the chair. Then, he rushed out of the inferno, trying to get as far away from the wreck as he could. He hadn't even gotten out of the light of the flames when the engines exploded, sending him flying several feet.

He landed on top of the unconscious/dead pilot, and shielded the body as the debris rained down around them. When he was sure that the deadly rain had stopped, then and only then did he sit up and take a good look at whomever it was that he had just saved from incineration.

A femme in black and blood red armor lay motionless beside him, a small pouch secured to her side. She was heavily damaged; most of her injuries were burn-related.

The little spots of color that had danced across his optics as an aftereffect of the explosion finally disappeared, giving him a better view of the woman's burned face. When recognition hit him, it was all he could do to keep from breaking down and sobbing.

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Author's Note: Obviously, this chapter is a bit rough. It was difficult for me to write because I didn't want to give away the identity of the pilot. It'll get better, though. I promise.


	2. Reunion

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG-13.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 2

Reunion

by Switchblade X

"Oh, Shadow…" Dinobot moaned, gently touching the woman's cheek.

Her name was Shadow Stalker, and she was Dinobot's best friend. They had been friends for as long as either of them could remember, sticking together through thick and thin. Shadow was the only family he had, though they weren't related in any way. They had lost contact after he had left Cybertron with Megatron.

He fought back tears as he stroked her face. "Of all the people to be taken, why did it have to be you?"

_Because she meant something to you._ answered a voice in the back of his mind. _She was your best friend, the one thing that you could honestly say you loved. It's only natural that she would be taken. Face it, Dinobot; you've obviously angered someone with a great deal of divine power._

He silenced the voice with a sharp mental stab, trying to convince himself that it wasn't true. It didn't work.

Shadow Stalker groaned almost inaudibly.

Dinobot perked. "Shadow?" he asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. She was alive!

She coughed, her optics struggling to light up. "D?" she rasped, forcing her vision to focus as she tried to move.

"I'm here, Shadow, I'm here." he replied, helping her sit up.

A sudden wave of dizziness hit her, and she paused for a moment. She looked at him, smiled, and then wrapped her arms around his neck.

Dinobot returned the hug, wanting to hold her as tightly as he could, but deciding against it for fear of worsening her injuries.

"What just happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh…impact, I think."

He nodded, "Fortunately, I was nearby. I managed to get you out of the cockpit before the engines exploded. …I thought I'd lost you, Shadow."

"For a while, so did I." She relaxed against him, trying to ignore the pain that coursed through her body. "Where are we?"

"We are somewhere in Oregon about four million years before the beginning of the Earth-bound part of the Great War."

She groaned, "Aw, man." Something sparked in her left side, making her grunt.

"I'd better get you back to the base for repairs." Carefully, he picked her up, and headed back toward the _Axalon_. "What are you doing way out here, anyway?"

"Lookin' for you."

Lightning arced across the sky, illuminating the crash site.

Dinobot waited until the thunder had stopped rumbling before he spoke again. "How did you know where to go?"

"Easy; I hacked into the spaceport's computers, and found the last coordinates that Megatron's ship had transmitted. Then, I grabbed a Starhopper and headed out, hoping to at least find some debris. Instead, I found a rip in the space-time continuum. And, here I am. …Now, how did _you _get here?"

"It's a long and very complicated story." he sighed, before beginning the tale of how the Beast Warriors had ended up on prehistoric Earth.

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Shadow Stalker's energy levels were dangerously low by the time the _Axalon_ came into view. It was all she could do to stay awake, and the pain was becoming unbearable. Rain poured steadily into her open wounds, only adding to her discomfort, and amplifying her injuries.

"How long has it been since I've carried you?" Dinobot asked, trying to keep her from slipping into stasis-lock. He would run (or at least walk faster) with her, but he was afraid of worsening her injuries.

"I have no idea. …How long has it been since I've carried _you_?"

"I don't ever recall you doing that."

"Oh, c'mon, D! I've dragged your sorry carcass away from fights several times, and you know it."

He smiled, "I know. I'm just trying to keep you awake."

She chuckled, "It's working."

The rain had begun to let up, which was natural, because now they were only a few hundred yards from the base. _It would have been nice if the rain had let up two miles ago._ Dinobot mentally grumbled.

Shadow Stalker shuddered, whimpering as her side sparked again.

Instinctively, he tightened his hold on her, "Hang in there, Shadow." It came out more harshly than he had intended.

"I'm trying…"

"We're almost there. Just stay with me for a few more minutes."

"I'm trying."

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Silverbolt was waiting at the elevator entrance when Dinobot returned. "What happened?" he asked, as the raptor rushed past him, depositing Shadow Stalker in the nearest CR chamber. Unbeknownst to the Fuzor, Dinobot removed her gun-belt, and hid it behind his chest plate.

"Her ship crashed." Dinobot answered quickly, programming the chamber to not only repair her, but upgrade her alternate mode to one more suited for Earth as well.

"Ship?"

"Starhopper, actually." He growled when the scanner couldn't find a single creature that was within range. "Slagging Maximal technology." he grumbled, programming the chamber himself.

"I don't understand." Silverbolt said. "The scanners didn't pick up anything."

"Of course not! It's _storming_! Nothing in this infernal place _ever_ works properly when it's storming!" He sighed, dropping unceremoniously into a chair, resting his elbows on his knees, and burying his face in his hands.

"…Are you all right?" Cautiously, Silverbolt approached Dinobot, readying himself to dodge if the ex-Predacon struck at him.

"I'm fine."

He took the sharp words to mean, "I'm not fine. Something is really wrong with me, but I'm not going to talk about it."

Dinobot took a deep, shuddering breath, and looked at Silverbolt. "Go back to your post. I will explain everything to the best of my ability when everyone is present."

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"So, let me get this straight; Shadow Stalker hacked into a Predacon spaceport's computer system to get the last coordinates that Megatron's ship transmitted, then stole a Starhopper so that she could hunt for you. Instead of finding you where you were supposed to be, she found the same rip that we did. How did she know where to go after exiting the rip?" Optimus asked.

Dinobot shrugged, "I don't know; she didn't tell me."

"Why didn't Megatron take her? He took you."

"He _was_ going to take her, but decided not to literally at the last minute. Megatron is a bit on the sexist side."

Rattrap shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I didn't know you had friends, Chopperface."

"There are many things you don't know, vermin. And if you value your life, I suggest you butt out." Dinobot snapped.

Rattrap was about to snap back, but the CR chamber hissed and opened.

Slowly, Shadow Stalker staggered into the light.

Dinobot was at her side in an instant, talking to her in a language that none of the others understood.

She stiffened, glancing around his arm at the curious Maximals, a look of confused shock on her face. The expression on her face was reflected in her voice when she spoke back to him.

Dinobot stepped aside, gesturing to Optimus, "This is Optimus Primal. He leads this team."

Optimus smiled, "Hello."

Shadow Stalker glanced uncertainly at Dinobot, then at Optimus.

Dinobot continued, "This is Rhinox, Cheetor, Silverbolt, and, unfortunately, Rattrap."

Rattrap made a face at him.

The raptor hissed, and then turned to Shadow Stalker, "Megatron has gone mad with his lust for power. This is the side I fight for now; the side that will stop Megatron's insanity."

"How can you stand here among these _Maximals_,"— she said the word like it was a curse— "and act like they're no threat at all? They _slaughtered_ our families like cattle! How can you stand among them like they're _friends_?"

The Maximals were stunned into silence.

Dinobot sighed, "It's hard, Shadow, believe me. But, considering our alternative, I would rather be standing here. With you, preferably."

Optimus stepped forward, "Shadow Stalker, I am deeply sorry for whatever it was that happened to your family and Dinobot's, but if Megatron isn't stopped, the whole universe is in danger. Please…help us stop this maniac."

Shadow Stalker growled, mulling over her extremely limited options. She looked at Dinobot, who was watching her with pleading optics. "…All right, I'll fight with you. But that doesn't make me a Maximal; I am a Decepticon. And, as soon as this war is over, so is this coalition."

Optimus paused for a split second, suddenly uncertain of letting a self-proclaimed Decepticon into the ranks. But, what choice did he have? The Maximals needed all the help they could get… "Deal. Dinobot, if you don't care, take Shadow Stalker on a tour of the base."

Dinobot nodded, and motioned for her to follow him, which she did.

"I sense much anger and hatred in this one." Silverbolt said.

"A few anger management courses would do that chick a world of good." Cheetor decided.

Optimus sighed, "Cheetor, unfortunately about ninety-percent of the people like her aren't willing to talk things out."

"Yeah. An' she's a half-breed, which don' help matters none." Rattrap said.

"How do you know?" Rhinox asked. "She just said she was a Decepticon."

"I knew her folks; used ta be her neighbor. Her dad was a 'Con, an' her mom was a Autobot. Nice people, really. Anyway, I was dere when some gang 'a nutcases stormed our apartment buildin' wavin' guns around an' hollerin' for everyone ta come out inta da halls. Dey singled out Shadow Stalker's an' Chopperface's families.

"Dey didn' give 'em no explanation, dey just told 'em ta go ta da streets. Once dey got dere, da militants lined da rest 'a us up on da sidewalks an' made us watch 'em rip out dose poor people's sparks."

"And where were Dinobot and Shadow Stalker during this?" Optimus asked.

"I dunno. A few 'a da psychos found 'em somewhere an' made 'em watch deir own families' execution. …I never found out why dey did it, either. …Shadow Stalker had a younger brother an' sister; Chopperface's mom had been expectin' one in da next couple 'a weeks."

"I remember that." Rhinox said. "Those radicalists were part of a huge anti-Decepticon militia. After that incident, all of them were captured, tried, and executed. They killed Dinobot's family and Shadow Stalker's father because they were Decepticons. They killed Shadow Stalker's mother because she married a Decepticon."

Rattrap spoke again, "…Y'know, I look back at it now, an' I feel really bad 'cause nobody did anything. I mean, we was all scared outta our minds, but still…"

"Why is her name Shadow Stalker?" Cheetor asked. "Is it because of the fact that her armor's mostly black?"

Rattrap shook his head, "Nope. Shadow Stalker has dis ability ta disappear inta da shadows, which makes her extremely dangerous at night. It's kinda like what Mirage used ta do wit 'is electro-disrupter, only on a more high-tech level. If you can keep 'er in da light, however, ya might stand a better chance 'a beatin' 'er."

"You sure do know a lot about her." Rhinox said. "How come she didn't recognize you?"

The rat shrugged, "Like I said; I knew 'er folks an' I used ta be 'er neighbor. I'm pretty sure she remembers me just fine. An' I'm also pretty sure dat she ain't too happy wit me."

Author's Note: Thanks to PerennialOutlander for this story's first review. I'm glad _somebody_ reads this crap. More to come!


	3. Fight

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 3

Fight

by Switchblade X

As soon as they were out of sight as well as earshot, Dinobot and Shadow Stalker shared a hug that lasted for several minutes. They clung to each other for dear life, almost like they were afraid that they would never see each other again.

Shadow Stalker felt Dinobot start to tremble against her as his adrenaline rush began to come to an end. She gently nuzzled his neck, breathing in his familiar, comforting scent. "You're tired."

He nodded, "I didn't sleep last night."

"I noticed. …I owe ya one, D."

"Nonsense. You would've done the same for me."

"But-"

He leaned his head against hers, silencing her. "Shhh."

She smiled.

After a few more moments of silent embracing, they pulled slowly away. "Come," Dinobot sighed, "you need to learn the layout of this place."

"Okay." Obediently, she followed him.

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Tarantulas growled to himself as he looked through the charred remains of what had once been a Maximal Starhopper. Nothing could be salvaged.

"Looks like this was a wasted trip." Blackarachnia sneered. "Nothing could've survived that crash."

"And you know this how?" Tarantulas demanded.

"Hello! Look at this place! I'm not even sure Waspinator could've survived that crash, let alone anyone else."

Again, he growled, "As much as it sickens me to admit it, you're right. This junk-heap isn't even suitable for scrap metal anymore. We might as well go back." He transformed, and headed back to the Predacon base.

Smirking to herself, Blackarachnia followed suit. Someone _had_ survived that crash; she had seen footprints that could only belong to Dinobot beside what looked like the slight indentation of a female body. But, she wasn't going to tell Tarantulas that. No, this was something that she had decided to keep to herself.

Besides, some nagging instinct was telling her that this newcomer would be more trouble to the Maximals than she would be to the Predacons.

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Shadow Stalker had zoned out long after Dinobot had shown her where her quarters were— conveniently beside his. He was bored, she could tell. Frankly, she couldn't blame him; everything looked disappointingly the same.

Her gaze drifted to her lifelong best friend, and she studied him closely. Dinobot was as muscular and fierce as ever, even if his body had been altered slightly in order to accommodate his beast mode. He was also as intimidating as ever. She wasn't afraid of him in any way, she just felt slightly inferior. True, he had always been considerably bigger than her, but that was natural. He was, after all, male. You could feel his strength just by being somewhere near him, but standing as close as she was, his aura was almost suffocating.

In a way, his size was comforting, as was his sometimes-brazen fearlessness. She felt safe around him, content. When she was with him, she felt like nothing could possibly go wrong, even if her surroundings were apocalyptically chaotic.

But, perhaps the most important thing of all was this; he loved her, and she loved him. It wasn't the type of love that was generally shared between best friends. This was a type of love that only existed between them. It was raw, unbridled, and completely open; it was honest.

"Primus Almighty, this is monotonous." Dinobot grumbled, jolting her out of her thoughts.

"Just a little bit." she agreed.

He stopped, "Let me put it this way; if you've seen one hallway, you've seen them all."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yes. Maximals aren't terribly distinctive when it comes to the designs of their ships' interiors. They tend to be frustratingly consistent with one design, which, to be quite honest, has gotten me lost in here several times."

"Simple designs for simple minds."

"Ordinarily, I would agree with you, but living with these particular Maximals has taught me some rather useful lessons. For example: not all of them are as stupid as they let on. Most of them, yes, but not all of them. I suggest you remember that incase you decide to let your anger get the best of you again."

"Do we not have a right to be angry?"

"Shadow, we can't blame them for what happened. We were barely out of college, Rhinox, Optimus, and Rattrap were just starting high school, Cheetor wasn't even _born_ yet, and Primus only knows where Silverbolt was. We can't take our anger out on an entire race just because of the actions of a few rogues."

She was silent for a moment. "You're right." she sighed, "Where would I be without you, D?"

He smiled, taking her hand in his and continuing down the hallway, "Probably deep fried in some other galaxy."

"That was so funny, I forgot to laugh."

He chuckled.

"No, seriously, I forgot to laugh."

"Let's get out of here."

"Yes, please. This place is giving me a headache."

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Shadow Stalker inhaled deeply, enjoying the earthen scent of the forest. "Where are we going?" she lazily asked, watching the sun dance through the canopy of leaves above them.

"We're going to one of the most beautiful places on this planet." Dinobot answered, gently squeezing her hand.

"Ah." She didn't press the matter, instead trusting him to lead her to "one of the most beautiful places on this planet."

They walked on in silence for a while, and the farther they walked, the stronger the scent of water became. Soon enough, Shadow Stalker could hear it; they were nearing a waterfall.

"Almost there." Dinobot assured her as they neared a dense veil of ivy. He stopped, pausing somewhat dramatically before asking, "Are you ready?"

She nodded.

He pulled the ivy back far enough for both of them to walk through the veil.

Shadow Stalker gasped, her optics widening, "Dear Primus…it's beautiful!"

Dinobot smiled, wrapping one arm around her waist. "I thought you might like it." He moved his face closer to hers.

"Like it? I _love_ it! It's absolutely _beautiful_!"

"That it is." he whispered, his voice low and husky.

Tiny electrical shocks rocketed through her body when his warm breath touched her face.

"Like you." he concluded, gently kissing her cheek.

She glanced down, embarrassed, "I'm not pretty."

He raised her chin, making her look at him, "Who told you that?"

"Nobody. It's common knowledge."

"Shadow, you are the most beautiful creature I have ever known. You always have been beautiful, and you always will be. And don't you _ever_ let anyone tell you otherwise."

She smiled in spite of her sudden negativity and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "You always know how to make me feel better."

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Dinobot sighed contentedly, his tail twitching lazily. He was curled up on a rock in beast mode, soaking up the sun while watching Shadow Stalker explore the little hideaway in her new beast mode: a black wolf.

Shadow Stalker trotted over to the pond that the waterfall had spawned, and studied herself. She liked her new alternate mode; it was fast, strong, and stealthy. It occurred to her then that she hadn't seen herself in robot mode yet. Feeling somewhat foolish, she transformed, and studied her robot mode.

Black Harley-Davidson-style boots came to a point above her knees. The bands that encircled her ankles and went under her instep were red, as was a stripe that encircled her calves and followed her boots up to the spike. Her thighs were black. Her torso was red except for a V that came from her neck (think V-necked tank top), which was black. Black gloves came to a point just above her elbows, and like her boots, a stripe of red surrounded her elbow and came into the spike. Her face and neck were black, except for her eyes, which were red. A helmet rested atop her head, coming to a widow's peak in the front and flaring out a little in the back to provide a bit of protection to the back of he neck. The slight crest that ran down the center of her helmet was red until it met the black diamond that was the "peak" of the widow's peak.

She still retained her Amazonian proportions, and her alternate mode still disappeared completely, giving her opponent no indication whatsoever as to what she might turn into. This was good. This was very good.

Something troubled her, however. Her gun belt was missing. She had been sure that she'd had it on when Dinobot had rescued her, but where was it now? Her only weapon was gone.

"Did I do good?" Dinobot asked, suddenly appearing behind her.

"I love it." she answered. "You did great."

He smiled, "I'm glad you like it."

"How'd you learn to do this, anyway?"

"Just something I studied in my free time."

She grinned. "There is one thing that I don't get."— she raised her hands— "What're these little silver things between my knuckles?"

"New weapons for you."

"Huh?" Suddenly, long metallic claws sprang from the cone-shaped silver things that were positioned between each of her knuckles. She gasped, and looked at the six claws that protruded from her hands. "Cool! I'm like, Wolverine, or somethin'!"

He laughed, "I hadn't thought of it like that."

She hugged him. "You're a genius, D, did you know that?"

"I am not. Oh! I almost forgot!" He pulled away from her, and removed her black gun belt from behind his chest plate. "I took this off before I put you in the CR chamber." he explained, fastening it around her waist, "I didn't think the introductions would go well if you were armed."

"Thank you. I thought I'd lost this thing!" Her claws retracted, and she lay a hand on the butt of her pistol, "I'm glad you took it from me; I probably would've done something stupid." Her other hand strayed briefly to the little pouch that was secured to the left side of her belt.

"Aaaaw, how cute." Blackarachnia said, stepping out of the trees with Quickstrike in tow. "Dinobot has a girlfriend."

Dinobot whirled, grabbing his sword. "You're out of your territory, spider."

She shrugged, "That never stopped me before."

"Yer goin' daown." Quickstrike said. "Ain't they, Sugarbot?"

"Who are these two lackeys?" Shadow Stalker asked, her claws shooting outward with a _shrink!_

"Blackarachnia and Quickstrike." Dinobot answered, "Minions of Megatron."

Shadow Stalker snorted, "Are you kidding? _This_ is our opposition? A slutty little bitch and a delusional cowboy?"

"Sad, isn't it?" Dinobot kept an eye on Blackarachnia, knowing that she would strike when they least expected it. Quickstrike, on the other hand, was little threat.

"Hell yeah it's sad! _These_ idiots were our teammates? I'm almost glad ol' Meggy scratched me from the team at the last minute!"

"Enough!" Blackarachnia roared, lunging. She tackled Shadow Stalker, knocking the bigger woman down.

Quickstrike, eager to fight and impress Blackarachnia, followed her example, going for Dinobot.

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"Has anybody seen Dinobot?" Optimus asked upon entering the command center.

"Last time I saw him, he was giving Shadow Stalker a tour of the base." Rhinox answered. "Why?"

"I can't find either one of them."

"What?!" Rattrap demanded.

"Bingo!" Rhinox exclaimed. "They're in Sector Delta, and it looks like they've got company."

"Silverbolt is close by, right?" Optimus asked.

"Yeah."

"Get him over there; they may need backup."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Rattrap interrupted. "Why are we sendin' in reinforcements? For all we know, dose two could be sellin' us out!"

"I'll remember that the next time _you're_ out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by enemy soldiers." Optimus snapped.

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Blackarachnia was becoming more and more aware of the water that was steadily climbing up her legs. Shadow Stalker had backed her into the pond, where the water was a lot deeper than it looked. Her gun had been destroyed, and the spider legs that lined her arms had been sliced off; she had only her ninja skills to rely on now.

Shadow Stalker growled, baring her canine fangs. She was also damaged, but not as badly as Blackarachnia. Quickly, she glanced sidelong at Dinobot.

He was leaned up against the rock that he had been sunning on earlier, struggling to breathe. Before he had literally been torn to pieces, Quickstrike had pumped Dinobot full of some new type of cyber venom.

Taking advantage of this momentary distraction, Blackarachnia smacked the water, sending a spray into Shadow Stalker's face before she struck.

Water suddenly surrounded her. Panicking for a brief moment, Shadow Stalker kicked Blackarachnia off of her and headed to the surface.

Blackarachnia, on the other hand, had other plans. She grabbed the stunned wolf around the waist, and dragged her deeper into the water and farther to the bottom.

Recovering her wits, Shadow Stalker struggled. She began slashing at the spider's damaged arms, desperate to break free. She hadn't had a decent breath when she had been attacked, and she was drowning.

Blackarachnia knew this, and was _not_ going to let her opponent escape, no matter what the cost. She had taken a decent breath, and could still last a few more moments.

It was getting hard for Shadow Stalker to focus. Her new body was screaming for oxygen, which wasn't exactly something she was used to. Panic began to take over, and she struggled harder, ramming her arm backward. She was rewarded with Blackarachnia letting go when a spiked elbow connected with her chin.

Stunned, the spider drifted back a few feet. It was in that instant that she lost her advantage and her one chance of winning this fight.

................................................................................................................................................

Silverbolt flew as fast as he could towards Sector Delta, fearing the worst. He cursed himself for not being a Transmetal.

His instincts told him that something _really_ bad had happened. _For once, let me be wrong._ he prayed, pushing his body well past the limit. _For once, don't let me be too late. I don't want to lose another friend because I'm so Primus-damned slow._

................................................................................................................................................__

Coughing, sputtering, and cursing, Shadow Stalker dragged herself and Blackarachnia from the pond. She dropped the stasis-locked spider onto the grass like she was a sack of grain, and rushed to Dinobot's side. "D?" she choked, gently touching his cheek.

"Are you…all right?" he gasped, trying desperately to breathe and fight the venom that was searing through his veins.

"I'm in one piece, more or less." Her worried gaze fell on the two puncture wounds that glowed an eerie green on his right forearm.

"Son-of-a-bitch pumped me full of some new kind of venom." He winced, "Shit!"

Shadow Stalker felt fear grip her spark. New venom? She didn't even know what to do when the old venom was involved! "Aw man…. I dunno what to do!"

"There's…nothing you can do. …Bloody hell this shit stings!"

"Help won't get here in time, will it?"

He shook his head, "Not from this distance."

"Aw, man…" Tears began spilling out onto her cheeks, "This is my fault."

"How?" With a great deal of difficulty, he managed to wrap her in his arms and hold her.

"If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be out here, and you wouldn't be…" She couldn't bring herself to say that final word.

"Shadow…it's not your fault. …Please don't cry."

She lost it, and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Don't cry, Shadow, please…" He grunted as the venom took a stronger hold on him. "I'm…going to have to go into stasis. …It's the only way to stop the venom."

Finally getting her crying under control, she nodded, pulling away just enough to look at him. "Do whatever you have to."

"I'll be okay, love. …I promise."

"Come back to me."

"I will."

With fresh tears streaming down her face, she kissed him. "I love you, D."

"I love you, too, Shadow." He hugged her once more, before slipping into stasis lock.

Shadow Stalker howled in rage and sorrow as his limp arms fell away from her. "Damn you, Megatron!" she screamed. "Damn you and all your minions straight back to the deepest pit of hell from whence you came!"

Someone gasped behind her.

She whirled, gun drawn, but paused when she saw who it was.

"Am I…?"

She nodded, not ashamed of letting him see the tears that flowed freely down her face. "He just went into stasis. Fuckin' Quickstrike pumped him full 'a some new kinda cyber venom. Whatever the hell it is, it's eating him from the veins outward. …He'll probably be dead by the time we get him back to the _Axalon_."

Author's Note: Thanks to Kat Drama (Sorry I didn't mention you before. I don't check my e-mail consistently. Can you tell? ;) ), Amity-Star, Libero H, and DayDreamer9 for the reviews; I really appreciate it. More to come!


	4. Tempest

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 4

Tempest

by Switchblade X

Somehow, defying all logic, Dinobot was still alive by the time Silverbolt and Shadow Stalker got him back to the _Axalon_. But just barely.

"Here." Shadow Stalker said, holding a vial of green liquid toward Rhinox.

"What's this?" he asked, cautiously taking it.

"It's a sample of the venom." she answered. "I got it from Quickstrike before we left."

"An' you jus' happened ta have a empty vial on hand?" Rattrap suspiciously inquired.

She nodded, "No idea where it came from, but I'm sure glad I had it. Be careful, Rhinox; that shit just about ate through the vial."

The scientist nodded, "Thanks."

"Shadow Stalker, come with me to my office." Optimus said. "I need a full report."

Wordlessly, she stood, and followed him down the hallway.

"Will Dinobot be okay?" Cheetor asked.

Rhinox sighed, "Cheetor, I hate to admit it, but I have no idea."

................................................................................................................................................

Rattrap was waiting for Shadow Stalker when Optimus released her. She walked by her former neighbor without acknowledging his presence.

"What's happened to you, Shadow?" he asked, falling into step with her.

She didn't reply.

"Why are you actin' like dis? Dis isn't da Shadow I remember." When he still got no reply, he continued. "Whatever happened ta da girl who used ta beat da livin' daylights outta anyone who made fun 'a me because I was short? Whatever happened ta da girl who was always tryin' ta make people smile? Whatever happened ta da old Shadow Stalker, da one I grew up wit?"

"She's dead." Shadow Stalker spat. "She died a long time ago."

"Did she? Or did you kill 'er? …You don't even remember me, do you?"

"I don't have time for this."

"Den make time! What da hell is wrong wit you? You've been nothin' but a pissy-assed bitch eva since you got here! What happened?"

"_Life_ happened, Rattrap! I finally saw the universe for what it is; a cold, uncaring place where it's every man for himself."

"That ain't completely true-"

"It is, too! Look, I don't have time for this. Leave me alone." She picked up her pace.

"I got two words for you; anger management."

She spun around to face him, "Fuck off."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! I said fuck off! You think I don't remember you?! I know _exactly_ who you are! You stood by and watched as those psychos dragged my family and Dinobot's out into the streets and ripped their sparks out! You stood there and did _nothing_!"

"What da hell could I have done?! I was a _kid_! What was I supposed ta do, whip out a Uzi an' blow deir heads off? I ain't brave like you an' Dinobot, Shadow. I can't make life an' death decisions in half a millisecond. I wish I coulda done somethin' but I couldn't!"

"_Innocent people_ were murdered for no good reason, and _no one did a damn thing_!"

"No one coulda done anything! Look, I'm really sorry about what happened. Get over it, okay?"

She glared at him for a moment, her anger threatening to boil completely over. "Fuck you. You Maximals are all the same; you think your shit don't stink. Well, I got news for you; you ain't no better than the flies that feast on rottin' carcasses and animal crap." She turned abruptly on her heel, and marched down the hallway.

Cheetor bumped into her. "Excuse me." he apologized.

"Go to hell." she snapped.

"Geez. What was that about?" he asked once she was gone.

"Dat, kiddo, was a very angry young woman." Rattrap answered.

................................................................................................................................................

Silverbolt headed to the command center dreading his shift at the monitors. He was lucky; he had the first shift.

Shadow Stalker sat at the command center's table, adding another drawing to the sketchbook that she had brought to Earth (among other things) in a small subspace pouch that she kept secured to her belt at all times. Music blared from her headphones. She had been sitting there for hours.

She looked up when she sensed his presence, hitting the _pause_ button on her audio player, and removing her headphones, letting them hang around her neck.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you." he said, stopping in the doorway.

"You're not." she replied, beginning to gather up her things.

"You don't have to go."

She paused, looking at him curiously.

"Please don't go. It gets kind of lonely up here."

At this, she raised one eyebrow, "Are you saying you _want_ me to stay?"

"Please?"

She slowly returned her sketchbook and audio player to their original places, never taking her eyes off of him.

"What're you listening to?" he asked, heading for a computer console.

"Marilyn Manson. _The Golden Age of Grotesque._"

He nodded, "Ah. I liked that album."

She stared at him, "Are you serious?"

"Yes. I love human music; it has so much more soul than our music."

"Amen to that. I don't give the humans much credit, but when it comes to music, they dominate."

He smiled, "I prefer hard rock and heavy metal."

"Huh. Me, too." She looked at him closely, "Are you sure you're not shittin' me? Cuz you really don't strike me as a fellow metal-head."

"I kid you not." He grinned, "Appearances can be deceiving, you know."

She nodded. "I thought you didn't remember anything."

"I don't. Completely, that is. I do remember fragments, however. Apparently, what kind of music I like is one of those fragments."

Again, she nodded.

An awkward silence fell. Silverbolt shifted uncomfortably, but Shadow Stalker seemed completely oblivious to his uneasiness.

"…Shadow Stalker?"

"Huh?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"I guess."

"Why are you here?"

"I already told you people; I was lookin' for D."

"That's not what I meant. Why are you still here? You're the most anti-Maximal person I have ever met. Why do you stay here with us instead of going to the Predacons?"

She took a deep breath, "First and foremost, D wants me to stay here. He wouldn't want me to be here if you guys were dangerous. Second, Megatron needs to be stopped. He used to be a friend to D and me, but then he went nuts. And third, I don't have anywhere else to go. …Why are _you_ here?"

Silverbolt blinked, "What do you mean?"

"You're not like the others, Silverbolt. You have a sense of honor. It's not as complex as D's, but it's there… You're different. You're so chivalrous and good… You shouldn't be fighting this petty war. Why are you here?"

"I'm fighting because it's the right thing to do."

"Is it? If we do so much as fuck up once, we could not only alter the timeline of our race, but of the humans as well. True, this war _must_ be fought, but is it right to invade someone else's home in order to settle our paltry disputes?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, contemplating all that had been said.

"I like you, Silverbolt; you're different, like me. Just remember, though; sometimes chivalry can get you shot."

Another long silence followed her last statement. Silverbolt could feel her optics on him, sizing him up, looking at his soul. He looked at the floor, suddenly terrified of what she might discover just by looking at him.

"…You're a half-breed, too."

He nodded, feeling ashamed.

"Maxi-Pred?"

Another nod. He closed his optics, suddenly fighting back tears. He didn't know why he was choking up, but he was. Something about admitting he had mixed blood felt like admitting to a murder charge.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"That's what you think."

"…They tormented you, too, didn't they?"

"Yes. And, unlike you, I wasn't able to stand up for myself. Unlike you, I didn't have a walking weapon with me at all times."

"Children are among the cruelest of things. I know some of the original Megatron's interrogators, and they are nowhere near as cruel as children. But, being a half-breed isn't anything to be ashamed of. In fact, you should be proud of it, cuz if a war ever breaks out between the factions, you know how your enemy's mind works. That's a _huge_ advantage."

"That's easy for you to say. As if I'm not miserable enough knowing that I'm not even a full-blooded Maximal, my beast mode isn't even one creature! I'm a freak either way you look at it!"

"You are not a freak. _I'm _a freak; you're normal. But, hey, bein' freaky ain't all bad. I rather enjoy it, actually."

He smiled in spite of himself. "You would."

This made Shadow Stalker grin. _It's about time I got him to smile!_

"You're insane, Shadow Stalker. Completely and utterly insane."

She cackled maniacally, "I _knooooow_! Isn't it grand?"

He was about to say something, but the nearest CR chamber hissed, and began to open.

Author's Note: Thanks to Libero H and Amity-Star for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated. More to come!


	5. Fallout

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 5

Fallout

by Switchblade X

"I'll go get Rhinox." Silverbolt said before hurrying down a hallway.

Shadow Stalker stood, and took a few steps closer to the CR chamber. Anticipation mixed with fear as the door slowly opened. Would he be dead? Permanently injured? Completely changed? In a way, she didn't want to know.

Slowly, Dinobot staggered out of the darkness. It took his optics a moment to adjust to the light, but by that time, he already had Shadow Stalker wrapped in a tight embrace.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm dizzy, exhausted, weakened, and about half sick. But, other than that, I'm fine."

She smiled at his rare sarcasm and led him over to the table, where she guided him down into a chair.

"Ah, you're out. Good." Rhinox said, entering the command center with Silverbolt behind him. "How do you feel?"

"Tired, dizzy, and…"— it bothered Dinobot to say the final word in front of anyone other than Shadow Stalker— "weak."

"Are you nauseous?"

He nodded.

"Thought so. Fortunately, the venom didn't do too much damage."

"Too much?" He allowed Shadow Stalker to lean him against her body, and then decided to rest his head against her chest.

"Luckily, you have some sort of an immunity to this venom. It's part of the Decepticon genetic makeup, I think. Shadow Stalker should also have it, but hers wouldn't be as strong as yours, since she's…you know."

"Just say it, Rhinox." Shadow Stalker quietly said. "You won't make me mad."

The Maximal scientist paused for a moment, "…Since she's a half-breed. …Anyway, if you hadn't have had this immunity, the venom would've killed you instantly. However, there was some damage done."

"Such as?"

"It's nothing severe; you'll probably experience some aches. Like the kind you get after working out."

"So I am…damaged?"

"Like I said, it's nothing severe."

"But it's still there. …Is it…permanent?"

"I don't know. This venom has traces of acid in it, you know; that's probably what did the damage. …If I had a guess, though, I would say that it is permanent."

Dinobot's face fell, and he darkened his optics. He felt Shadow Stalker stiffen for a brief moment before wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm sorry."

"…It's all right, Rhinox. You did what you could, and I thank you for it."

Rhinox was silent for a moment. "It's nothing serious, Dinobot. Really. Just a few aches, that's all. …Of course, there could be other things develop later. I'm not really sure… This type of venom is new to me; I don't know what it'll do. It might only cause minor aches, but it might also cause other things."

"Such as?"

"I don't know."

He nodded, and stood with a sigh. "Thank you, Rhinox. I am in your debt." he said as he headed down the nearest hallway.

Rhinox bowed his head, sighing.

"He always did work hard to keep himself in perfect physical condition." Shadow Stalker said after a long silence. "…Doesn't look like there'll be much use for that now."

"I know." Rhinox whispered.

Shadow Stalker collected her things, and started after Dinobot. She paused beside the rhino, and put her free hand on his shoulder, "You did your best, Rhinox. No one could ever ask you for more than that."

He nodded, never taking his optics off of the floor.

She patted his shoulder, and continued on her way, shooting a quick wink at Silverbolt.

Silverbolt smiled in return. He caught a glimpse of her open sketchbook; the drawing that she had been working on when he had come in for monitor duty was of him.

................................................................................................................................................

Dinobot stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall. He didn't move when Shadow Stalker wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his back.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be. …Eventually."

"D, Rhinox did everything he could-"

"I know that."

"-but that venom is something he's never dealt with before. You'll overcome it; you always do."

He shook his head, "Not this time, Shadow."

Puzzled and more than a little concerned, she moved around his side to face him, "What do you mean by 'not this time'?"

"I won't get over this; the damage has already been done."

Now, she was getting scared. "D, what're you talking about? You're scaring me."

"That acid did something to me. I don't know what, but I could feel it in my veins. In all honesty, I don't _want_ to know what it did to me."

"…Do…do you think you're gonna…die?" She began to choke back tears as the thought hit her.

"No. …Not in the foreseeable future, that is." He sighed, "I don't know what's going to happen to me, Shadow. I might just have minor aches like Rhinox said, but then again, I might get sick and be out of commission for several days, if not longer. I just don't know."

"If you start hurting or anything, even just a little bit, you tell me immediately, okay? Don't do this whole tough-it-out shit like you usually do. If you feel anything _at all_ out of place, tell me. It might be major."

He couldn't help but smile, "Okay."

"I'm serious, D."

"I know." He hugged her tightly, and for the first time in his life, he feared what tomorrow might bring.

................................................................................................................................................

Shadow Stalker yawned, stretched, and glanced at her alarm clock. It was well past midnight, and she had a patrol route to run in the morning; she needed to get some rest.

She was worried about Dinobot. What if she woke up in the morning and found him dead? She shook her head roughly, trying to clear the image of his dead body from her mind; she _really_ didn't want to think about that.

_You're just stressed, that's all._ she thought, switching off the lights, and laying down on her bed. _Maybe things 'll be better in the morning. …At least, I hope they will be._

.........................................................................

_A crowd of people loomed in front of her, looking like they were gathering around a street fight. So, this is where her captors were taking her. She struggled, and was rewarded with a smack that was so forceful, it not only snapped her head to the side, but also made her go cross-eyed for a moment. Her fellow captive also struggled, and received the same punishment._

_As they neared the mob, the sea of Transformers parted, and they were shoved roughly to the front._

_Two families stood at the center of the ring. One family had two small children, who were clinging to their parents and sobbing. The other family consisted of a husband holding his pregnant wife protectively._

_The two captives struggled harder, crying out and cursing their captors; these were their families. They were hit again, and forced to their knees._

_Three of their captors approached the two families. They pulled the two children away from their parents, held the parents back, and proceeded to rip out the children's sparks with their bare hands and crush them. Then, they did the women the same way, extracting two sparks from the pregnant female. And last, they ripped out the males' sparks, taking special care to be slow._

.........................................................................

"NOOOOOO!!!" Shadow Stalker screamed, jolting out of her reoccurring nightmare, and sitting straight up. Breathing hard, she glanced quickly around the room, making sure that she was alone. Then, she drew her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms tightly around her legs, and rocked back and forth until she had slowed her breathing. Then and only then did she dare move.

Shakily, she headed for the door, going to the one place she knew her nightmares couldn't follow her.

................................................................................................................................................

Dinobot awoke with a grunt when something touched him. He was about to go into attack mode, but relaxed when he realized that it was Shadow Stalker who had touched him; she had been snuggling into his body. Shadow was the only 'bot who could sneak up on him. "You're shaking." he whispered, nuzzling her neck.

"Nightmare." she replied, deciding to roll over and snuggle into his side now that she knew he was awake. She rested her head and one hand on his chest.

"Oh." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I am now, anyway." Even though she tried hard to stop it, she was still shaking almost violently.

He gently kissed the top of her head, "It's all right, Shadow, I've got you. …Everything's going to be all right. I promise."

Author's Note; Thanks to Amity-Star, Libero H, and KatDrama for the reviews! You guys rock! More to come!


	6. Enemy

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 6

Enemy

by Switchblade X

Soundlessly, a black wolf of unnatural proportions stalked through the forest, breathing in the clean, crisp scent of the early morning world. The sun hadn't even begun to rise just yet; this was one of her favorite times of day.

The birds were just beginning to sing as she passed by. She smiled, feeling the dew sink through the fur of her paws and touch the skin beneath. Mornings like this were one of the finer things in life.

A sparrow landed on her head. For a moment, she wondered what it was doing, but then she heard other sparrows chirping nearby. This was a dare, a game that the young birds played to see who was the bravest. They also did this when a car was coming, but that was in the future; right now, all they had to settle for was her.

This was perfectly fine with her as long as the sparrow didn't pull out her fur or leave her a nasty little present.

Soon, another sparrow landed on her shoulder, and then another, and another. She now had one bird between her ears and three on her shoulders. Again, this was okay with her as long as there was no funny business.

The quartet of sparrows hitched a ride for quite a while, and then decided to head back home. In a way, she wished she could turn into a sparrow and follow them; she, too was a long way from home.

Home. A place several billion light-years and one inter-dimensional jump away from here. …Well, in all honesty, she didn't _have_ a home. Her home had been literally ripped apart a long time ago, and the _Axalon_ was _definitely_ not what she would qualify as "home". She only had Dinobot now; he was the one thing she always returned to, no matter how far away she had gone. So, in a way, _he _was her home.

"You look miserable."

She looked up to see Cheetor landing. "I was just thinking."

"Looks like your 'thoughts' were pretty deep." He fell into step with her, watching her warily. Cheetor had always heard that half-breeds were far more dangerous than full bloods, and Shadow Stalker had proven that several times, so he was naturally a little leery.

"…Look, about the other day…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"Ah, it's okay."

"No. No, it's not okay." She sighed, "I don't mean to be a bitch. I really don't. But, I have this temper that's becoming increasingly difficult to control… I had no right to say to you what I did. So, I apologize. I was out of line."

"Hey, it's okay. Everybody has bad days."

"No, it's not okay. I have entirely too many bad days, and I don't need to be taking it out on everyone else."

He paused for a while, sensing that he needed to change the subject. "…So, uh, you 'n Rattrap used to be buddies, huh?"

"_Used_ to be."

"What was he like as a kid?"

"If you can believe it, he was rather shy and withdrawn. I think that came partly from the way certain other children treated him."

"What do you mean?"

"The local bullies used to pick on Rattrap almost exclusively."

"What'd they do to him?"

"Ah, you know, the usual bully stuff; stealing his lunch money, picking on him because he was short, making his life a living hell, the usual. I finally got fed up with it, and began beating the shit out of anyone who bugged him. After a while, though, I had no choice but to teach him how to fight. Rattrap used to be _really_ wimpy. …I taught him everything he knows."

"I don't get it; you an' ol' Ratface don't fight _anything_ alike."

"I taught him everything _he_ knows. I _didn't_ teach him everything _I_ know."

He nodded, "Ooooh."

She then decided to ask the question that had come to her when he had first spoken to her. "What're you doin' out here this early, anyway? Ordinarily, you wouldn't have even rolled over yet."

He shrugged, "I was bored."

"Bored, eh? Y'know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were out here looking for me."

"What gave you _that_ idea?"

She stopped, and looked at him. Her gaze was not a friendly one. "Cheetor, it is six-thirty in the morning. Ordinarily you would still be asleep. You said you were bored, so you decided to take a little fly. And you just _happened_ to follow my patrol route? I don't think so. What gives, kid?"

Cheetor was cornered, and he knew it. He sighed, "Okay, so I _did_ follow you out here."

"Might I inquire as to why?"

"I…I want to know what happened between you and Silverbolt last night."

"We talked."

"That's what he said. But, something tells me that he only told half of the story. I want the other half. What happened last night, Shadow Stalker?"

She stared at him in disbelief for a long moment. "Are you insinuating that I am having an _affair_ with Silverbolt?"

"No."

"Liar."

He shifted uncomfortably, "All right, then. Yes. Yes, I am."

"I can't believe this! I spend half an hour talking to Silverbolt, and all of a sudden, everyone thinks we're having an affair?! Who the bloody hell thought _that_ shit up?"

"I did. I haven't told anyone else, though. I wanted to get the story from you first."

"What do you take me for, a slut?! I would die a billion horrible deaths in the deepest pit of hell before I _ever _even_ thought_ about cheating on Dinobot! I can't _believe_ you thought that I was messing around with Silverbolt!" She shook her head, trying to control her anger. Needless to say, it wasn't working too well. "I'm not a slut, Cheetor. I would _never_ _ever_ do anything like that. I am very much hurt by your accusations." she said, before breaking into a run and disappearing into the shadows.

"Wait!" he called, but it was too late. So, he took to the sky, hoping to spot her from there, but he had no such luck. Shadow Stalker was gone.

................................................................................................................................................

Tarantulas followed the black wolf as she zipped through the forest. If his sources were correct, this was Shadow Stalker, the female that Megatron had scratched from the mission at the last possible minute. If he was lucky, maybe he could convince her to rejoin the Predacons. If not, she would also make a nice throw rug.

_Megatron was a fool to eliminate her from the mission._ he thought. _Look at her! She's magnificent! With speed and agility like that, she would prove to be a major asset! Not to mention her electro-disrupter! …Hmmm… Convincing her to defect would be hard, though. If it weren't for that blasted Dinobot, I might have a chance. We shall see, though…_ He got ahead of her and dropped out of a tree, transforming as he fell.

Shadow Stalker began skidding to a halt, transformed, and had her gun cocked and aimed before she ever came to a complete stop.

Tarantulas raised his claws, "I mean you no harm."

She snorted, "Yeah, right. And I'm gonna sprout wings out my ass and fly away. What the hell do you want, Tarantulas?"

"I wish to talk."

"About?"

"Eh, perhaps this would be easier if you were to put your weapon away."

"Uh-uh. I've learned to never trust a spider."

"So true." He sighed, "Well if you _must_ have it your way… My comrades and I have been talking. We want you back. We realize the folly of Megatron's decision to cut you from the team, and we are willing to accept you back into the fold, regardless of what our 'leader' says."

She was silent for a long time, thinking, calculating, weighing the positive with the negative. However, her steely gaze never left the Predacon tarantula, nor did the aim of her pistol. After several more moments of debating, she finally asked, "Can Dinobot come, too?"

He shook his head, "No. There is no place in our ranks for the likes of him. If you come, you come alone."

"Then my answer is no. Wherever Dinobot goes, I go. And if he can't come with me back to the Predacons, then I'm not interested. Megatron is my enemy, now. As are you and the rest of the team."

Tarantulas sighed, "Oh, now that _is_ a pity. We were so looking forward to your triumphant return. But, if that's your decision, then there's nothing I can do about it." He turned, looking like he was leaving the area, "I hate for it to end like this, Shadow Stalker. But, you give me no choice." He spun around to face her, and opened fire.

Author's Note; Yes, yes, I know; I updated twice in one day. It's Saturday, I'm skipping the family reunion (gag!), and I am on **_SUCH_** a sugar high! Mwahahahahahehehehehehehahahahahaha!!!! More to come!


	7. Rage

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 7

Rage

by Switchblade X

Everyone that was present in the command center looked up when the elevator hissed to a stop.

Shadow Stalker stood in the center of the platform, badly damaged. Her right arm was barely attached by a few wires, there was a softball-sized hole in her stomach, her left knee had been blown almost completely out, and she was covered from head to toe in other smaller wounds. She held something by two cords in her left hand.

"What happened ta _you_?" Rattrap asked.

Without a word, she tossed the thing that she had been holding to Optimus, who caught it. It was Tarantulas' head.

Optimus, Rhinox, and Rattrap looked at the decapitated head, then at Shadow Stalker. It appeared that she had just ripped the spider's head off, windpipe, spinal cord, and all.

Still silent, she limped over to the nearest CR chamber, programmed it with her functioning hand, and stepped inside.

Rhinox sighed, "Whelp, looks like we need to call Dinobot in from the perimeter."

................................................................................................................................................

"What happened out there?" Optimus asked as soon as Shadow Stalker emerged from the CR chamber.

"I had a run-in with Tarantulas." she answered, testing her arm as Dinobot walked over to her.

"What was he doin' dat far inta our territory?" Rattrap asked.

"Trying to get me to defect." She leaned against the raptor without really even thinking about it.

Optimus raised one eyebrow, "I see he failed."

"I told him I wasn't interested unless D could come."

"So, what yer sayin' is; if da Preds'll take Dinobutt back, you're gone?" Rattrap demanded.

"If D wants to go, yes."

"I don't want to go." Dinobot quietly said. "This is where I belong, now."

She shrugged, "I didn't think you'd want to go. I don't either, really; Tarantulas gives me the creeps."

"Of course you realize, this doesn't exactly fuel our trust in you, Shadow Stalker." Optimus said.

"Hey, I could care less if you trust me or not." She took a few steps toward him, "Frankly, I don't trust any of you Maximals, with the exception of D, of course."

"Knowing that you'd betray us at any given second doesn't make my job any easier. What I don't get is this; after Megatron abandoned you and kicked Dinobot off of the team, how can you even _think_ of defecting?"

She pointed to herself, "Hel-_lo_! Decepticon! Deception's kinda in the title an' job description!"

Optimus shrugged, "So? Dinobot's a Decepticon. I don't see him defecting. Plus, he's a full-blooded Decepticon; you're a half-breed."

The growl that followed that remark put everyone on guard.

The Maximal leader knew that he was treading on thin ice, but decided to say one more thing. "Why don't you claim the Autobots?"

"Because the Autobots have always oppressed the Decepticons, just as the Maximals have always oppressed the Predacons. Contrary to popular belief, not all of us are evil. But, unfortunately, the actions of a few have only worsened the oppression. However, the actions of those few were very much justified. Wouldn't _you_ get fed up with millennia of unjustified oppression?"

"The Autobots and Maximals have _never_ oppressed anyone!"

She looked at him for a moment, pity in her optics. "You poor creature. You poor, uneducated creature. They have brainwashed you. …Look through the history archives of both the Autobots and Decepticons. Look back to the earliest recorded history. You'll see what I mean." She turned, and headed down the hallway toward her quarters.

After he was sure that she was out of earshot, Dinobot approached Optimus, "Don't mind her, Optimus. As you know, Shadow has some…issues. In all actuality, she means you neither harm nor any ill will. Just look over her as much as you can."

Optimus nodded, "I'll try."

"She'll get better." he continued, "Just give her time."

................................................................................................................................................

Shadow Stalker lay on her side on her bed, staring at the wall. Her door hissed open, and someone entered. She knew who it was; he never knocked. "I blew it again, didn't I?"

"Just a little bit, yes."

She sighed, "What's wrong with me, D? I used to be able to control my anger better than this."

He sat down on the edge of her bed, and put a hand on her shoulder, "You just have a lot on your mind right now, that's all. I was like you when I first came here and joined the Maximals." He chuckled a bit at the memories, "Impulsive, rude, sharp-tongued, aggressive, arrogant… Actually, I was a lot worse than you."

She rolled onto her back, moving closer to him, "I don't see how."

"I was. I really was. …But, like you, I had a lot of anger and hatred that I had to learn to deal with all over again."

"If you go into one of those 'you must calm your body, clear your mind, and harness your chi' speeches like those weirdoes who meditate every ten seconds, I swear, I'll jerk a knot in your tail."

He grinned, "No, no, I'm not into that slag either."

"Good. …How _did_ you deal with your crap?"

"Sometimes, you just have to learn to stop and take a few deep breaths to calm yourself and get your mind working right again. It's hard, believe me. I haven't mastered it yet, and look at how long I've been here. …It's just something you have to work at, that's all."

She nodded, "Thanks, D."

"No problem. And remember, if all else fails, hitting something always helps."

This made her smile, "True that."

Gently, he stroked her cheek, "It'll get better, Shadow. I promise."

................................................................................................................................................

Cheetor dodged another blast, pressing himself farther into the rock that was the only thing separating him from Waspinator, Megatron, and Inferno. Silverbolt lay beside him in beast mode, barely alive; the Preds had taken him out first when he had answered Cheetor's call for help.

_Where are they?_ the young Maximal wondered. He had again called for backup almost ten minutes ago!

Suddenly, a black wolf appeared in the distance, followed closely by a velociraptor.

Cheetor couldn't help but sigh in relief; the cavalry had arrived.

Shadow Stalker didn't slow down as she neared the rock. Instead, she leaped over the rock, transforming as she went, and let out a roar that chilled Cheetor's mech-fluid. Her claws came out, and she sliced through Inferno as she landed.

Dinobot skidded to a halt beside Cheetor and transformed. "Are you all right?"

"I'm a little worse for wear, but I'm still functional." He pointed to his comrade, "It's Silverbolt I'm worried about."

The raptor nodded, "Shadow can handle the Predacons. Right now, we need to see what we can do for Silverbolt."

"Ah, Shadow Stalker!" Megatron said with mock cheerfulness as the black-and-red-armored femme stood at the ready before him. "So _good_ to see you again!"

"Kiss my ass!" she snapped, attacking.

He blocked her claws, but barely. Her strength surprised him. "Still as strong and smart-mouthed as ever, I see."

"Again, kiss my ass." She pulled away, retracted her claws, grabbed her pistol, and opened fire.

Megatron managed to dodge the first three shots, but the forth hit him, knocking him backward a few steps.

Shadow Stalker took advantage of this moment. Holstering her pistol, she came at him with her fist clenched.

He grunted when her fist connected with his chest, and for a brief moment, he wondered what she was doing. He screamed when her claws extended to their full length, piercing his armor and slicing through his internal circuits.

"Incase you haven't noticed," she said, a wicked smile on her face, "I am very much going to enjoy this."

Again, he screamed as she slowly turned her fist a full 180 degrees. He could feel her claws tearing through his vital circuitry as though it were tissue paper.

She pulled him down just enough for her to be able to look him straight in the optics, "Next time, think long and hard about your decision to scratch someone from the team."

He screamed yet again, as she twisted her fist back another 180 degrees. A stream of oil and mech-fluid began to trickle from one corner of his mouth.

"Remember me, Megatron, for _I _am your worst nightmare." And with that, she yanked her fist from his chest, and shoved him backward.

Megatron fell, his optics dark, already in stasis.

As she cleaned the wad of circuits, wires, tubes, and various bodily fluids from her claws, Shadow Stalker saw the final Predacon: Waspinator.

At first, he had been stunned into absolute stillness, but now Waspinator began to tremble as he watched Shadow Stalker rise to her full height. "P-pleazze, d-don't hurt Wazzpinator." he begged.

She retracted her claws, sighed, and cocked her head to the right just a bit. "You know I'd never hurt you, Waspy."

"I would!" Cheetor said, popping up from behind the rock and snapping off a shot at the wasp.

"NO!" Shadow Stalker exclaimed, tackling Waspinator in hopes of dodging the laser.

Waspinator grunted when he hit the ground with Shadow Stalker on top of him. "NOOO!" he cried, seeing the smoking hole in her back as he gently laid her onto the dusty ground.

"Shadow!" Dinobot screamed, scrambling around the rock and rushing to where she lay. He hit the ground hard on his knees beside her prone form, "Shadow, say something!"

She grunted, reaching back to inspect her wound.

"Don't." Dinobot said, grabbing her hand before she could touch her back. "You'll make it worse."

"Is Waspy okay?" she asked, struggling to her knees.

"Wazzpinator izzz okay." he answered, cautiously putting a hand on her shoulder. "Thankzzz to you."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Cheetor exclaimed, rushing toward the trio. As soon as he had knelt down, Dinobot gave the cheetah a hard smack in the back of the head. He hit the dirt face first.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Dinobot demanded. "You could've killed someone!"

"I didn't mean to-" Cheetor started.

"Don't _ever_ shoot unless you _know_ you're going to hit your target!"

"I'm sorry! I really am!"

Dinobot growled, "Get Silverbolt. We're going back to the base."

"Wazzpinator izz coming, too." Waspinator said firmly.

"Ooooh no. He is _not_ coming with us." Cheetor decided.

"Thizz izz partially Wazzpinator'zz fault. Wazzpinator izz coming, too."

"But-"

He held up a hand, silencing the cheetah, "Wazzpinator doezz not leave hizz friendzz behind when they are hurt. Wazzpinator doezz not leave hizz friendzz period."

Dinobot stood, and gently picked up Shadow Stalker. Waspinator also stood.

Reluctantly, Cheetor stood.

"Well?" Dinobot demanded.

"Well what?"

"Get your ass over there and get Silverbolt! What the hell are you doing just standing around? We need to move! Now!"

................................................................................................................................................

It took a lot of explaining on both his and Dinobot's part, but Waspinator was permitted to stay. At least until Shadow Stalker was repaired.

As she staggered out of the CR chamber, Shadow Stalker was swept up into a tight hug from Dinobot.

"Are you okay?" he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Good." After a few more moment, he pulled away. "There's someone here to see you."

Curious, she peeked around his shoulder, and smiled when she saw Waspinator standing beside the table.

"Izz Zzhadow okay?" he asked, as she hugged him.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good. Wazzpinator wazz worried; thizz wazz hizz fault."

"No it wasn't."

"Uh-huh. Wazzpinator owezz Zzhadow hizz life."

"You don't owe me anything, Waspy."

Waspinator was about to say something else, but Rattrap cleared his throat. He sighed, "Maximalzz zzay that Wazzpinator could zztay only until Zzhadow came out of CR chamber. Now, Wazzpinator muzzt go."

"Are you sure? You can stay here with us."

"Azz much azz Wazzpinator would like to, Wazzpinator needzz to get back to hizz bazze. But, maybe Wazzpinator will drop by zzome time. And, who knowzz? Maybe Wazzpinator _will_ join Maximalzz one day."

She smiled, "Okay. The door's always open."

He hugged her, "No be zzad, Zzhadow. Wazzpinator izz always only a few clickzz away."

"I'll remember that."

He smiled, waved goodbye, transformed, and flew out of the roof hatch.

"Friend of yours?" Rattrap asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Shadow Stalker answered, the lightness of the moment gone. "Do you have a problem with it?"

"Yeah, actually, I do. Several, in fact. Most of which involve him bein' a Predacon! What are you, nuts?"

"Oh, blow it out your ass!" She headed down a hallway.

Dinobot sighed, "Call us when Silverbolt wakes up, okay?"

"All right." He turned his attention back to his poker game.

"Rattrap…"

"Yeah?"

"Don't pay any attention to Shadow. She's…got some issues."

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it. Jus' go talk some sense inta 'er okay?"

"That's exactly what I was going to do." He turned, and headed down the same hallway that Shadow Stalker had moments before.

................................................................................................................................................

"Shadow, what's wrong?"

She turned to face him, "Too much."

"Such as?"

"This war. Knowing that I'm fighting against the faction I used to be a part of. Knowing that I'm fighting with the faction that I hate. Knowing that I might have killed my former commander as well as two of my former comrades." She sighed, turning away from him, "Knowing that for one horrible moment, Waspinator was afraid of me. I'm the only friend he's ever had, and he was _afraid_ of me."

He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I know how you feel. …But, these things happen during times of war. You do and think and say things that you later regret. Unfortunately, many of them can't be helped."

She shuddered, " Did you see me out there? Did you see what I did to Megatron?"

"Yes."

"I _enjoyed_ that, D. I _enjoyed_ ripping out everything that I did. I…I let myself go, let the rage consume me. ……I'm scared, D. Scared of myself and scared for everyone around me. I've never felt like this before. I don't _want_ to go off at every little thing. I don't _want_ to have to rein in my anger every time something comes up. I'm a danger to myself and everyone around me. …I'm really scared. What if I hurt someone? Or worse?"

"You won't."

"How do you know? D, I'm so scared." She turned in his arms, and buried her face in his neck, "I don't want to be like this. I don't want to be a monster."

Dinobot tightened his hold on her, feeling her tears began to slide down his neck after falling from her cheeks. "Shhh, shhh. Don't cry, love. You're not a monster."

"Yes, I am."

Slowly, he began to rock from side to side, trying to calm her down. "You're not a monster, Shadow. You've just got a lot of things that you need to get off of your chest, that's all."

She didn't reply as she tried to control her emotions.

"Let it out, baby…let it out." he murmured, running one hand up and down her back. "I'm here. You're going to be okay." He darkened his optics and leaned his head against hers, "Shhh, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay, baby girl, I promise."

Author's Note: The sugar high continues!!!! (Bear with me, people; I don't get like this very often.) More to come!


	8. Scream

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 8

Scream

by Switchblade X

Silverbolt awoke with a gasp inside the CR chamber. For a split second, he wondered where he was and what had happened. Then he remembered; he had come to answer Cheetor's distress call, and had been shot down.

Cheetor! Was he all right? Did more backup arrive in time? If backup hadn't arrived, had he been taken captive?

The chamber hissed and opened. He transformed, and walked into the light. It took his optics a moment to adjust.

"Hey."

He looked at Shadow Stalker, who sat at the table beside Dinobot, and smiled. "Hey."

"How're you feelin'?" Rhinox asked from a nearby computer console.

"Considering my previous condition, I'm feeling rather well."

"That's good."

"What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Being shot down and hearing Cheetor call for backup again."

The Maximal scientist nodded, "Dinobot and Shadow Stalker answered that call. Shadow Stalker was injured, and you'll never guess who helped Dinobot and Cheetor bring the two of you home."

Silverbolt sighed and sat down at the table, "Do I _want_ to know?"

"Waspinator."

"Waspinator?!"

He nodded, "Yup. Apparently, he and Shadow Stalker are pretty good friends. He stayed here until she came out of the CR chamber, then went back to his base."

"Was that wise? I mean, he could be telling Megatron the exact layout of our command center as we speak."

"Nah. Waspinator was too concerned with Shadow Stalker to even take his optics off of the CR chamber."

"I love the way you people talk about us like we're not here." Shadow Stalker said, standing. She turned to Silverbolt, "Waspinator is my friend. We've been friends for a _very_ long time. I am the only friend he's ever had, and I know for a fact that he would never do anything that would hurt me."

"Waspinator's not the sharpest tool in the shed, y'know." Rhinox pointed out.

"He's not stupid! Waspinator used to be a _brilliant_ scientist! Smarter than even you, Rhinox. But there was an accident involving energon, nitroglycerin, and some radioactive stuff; the lab was destroyed. His assistant and several others were killed instantly. He, on the other hand survived, but was badly damaged. The best surgeons on Cybertron couldn't repair him completely. He was never the same again." She sighed, "Don't talk about him like he's an idiot, 'cause he's not. He can't help the way he is now, and I don't appreciate other people who don't know him talking slag about him." And with that, she exited the command enter.

Dinobot sighed wearily, and stood. "This is getting old." he mumbled, following her.

...............................................................................................................................................

"What am I going to do with her?" Optimus asked, sounding very frustrated. "Knowing that she might betray us at any given moment is bad enough, but to have her heading out to Primus knows where every day? If Dinobot didn't follow her and bring her back every blessed time, who knows where she would go and what she would do!"

"Shadow Stalker is a very…complex…person. She's got some major issues." Rhinox shrugged, "You gotta remember, though, Dinobot was like that when he first came to us."

"And that's exactly what's gotten me fed up so quickly! Dealing with Dinobot those first months was trying enough. I'm not going to put up with this slag any more."

"What are you going to do?"

"First, I'm going to try to talk to her."

"And if that doesn't work?"

Optimus was silent for a long time, "If that doesn't work……I'm afraid we'll have to deactivate her."

"Optimus! You _can't_ be serious!"

"I am. I don't _want_ to deactivate her; the very idea is repulsive. But, she's a danger to herself and everyone around her. I can't have her endangering my crew."

"…This won't go over well with Dinobot."

"I know."

"You might end up having to deactivate him as well. He's very protective of her."

"That's a chance we'll have to take."

This time, Rhinox was silent for a moment; "It's hard to imagine Dinobot in love with something besides battle."

"I know."

"It's kinda scary, actually."

"Rhinox, very few things scare me nowadays. And Dinobot having a girlfriend is _not_ one of them."

................................................................................................................................................

She didn't move when he sat down beside her on the cliff outcropping that looked out over a lake.

"You can't keep doing this."

"I know."

A long and uncomfortable silence passed between them.

He shifted uneasily, trying to ignore the ache that was making itself known between his shoulders. "Come back with me."

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why should I go back? You're the only one who really wants me there."

"So? At least someone wants you."

She sighed and stood, "You're not going to send me on a guilt trip."

He stood, "No, I'm not. But I am going to tell you the truth. Shadow, you can't keep running from your problems. Eventually, you're going to have to deal with them."

"I know."

Dinobot looked at her for a moment, his optics studying her face closely. "You don't know how."

She nodded, "I used to know how to deal. But…after everything that's happened since I came here, I don't remember how I did it before."

"I see. …You still haven't recovered completely from the crash, have you?"

"Not really. That's probably the closest to death I've come in several years."

He nodded, "I understand."

Shadow Stalker was about to say something else, when she froze, her optics locked onto something behind Dinobot.

"What?" he asked.

"When I say go, duck, get out of the way, and radio the base. Tell Rhinox to send backup."

He nodded, his body tensing up.

"Go!"

In the split second that it took Dinobot to leap out of the way, Shadow Stalker whipped out her pistol, and opened fire on Rampage. Rampage dodged the blasts, and lunged.

"Dinobot to base!" he yelled over the commlink as soon as he landed.

"Base here. Go ahead." Rhinox answered.

"We are under attack! Send reinforcements!"

"10-4, Dinobot; we'll be there shortly. Base out."

"Well, well. Look who we have here." Tarantulas said, dropping down from a nearby overhang. "It's my favorite traitor, Dinobot."

The raptor growled, and opened fire on the spider.

................................................................................................................................................

Silverbolt cursed himself for not being a Transmetal. If only he had Cheetor's speed!

"Ey, Birddog! Where are ya?" Rattrap asked over the comm.

"I'm about five miles from the target. Where are you?"

"I'm about three."

"Good. Get over there and provide as much cover fire as you can. I'll be there shortly." _It's been fifteen minutes since Dinobot radioed in. _he thought. _Primus only knows what's happened since then._

"See ya dere. Rattrap out."

Something told Silverbolt that this was _not_ going to be an ordinary battle. Something told him that with this battle, his life as well as everyone else's was about to change drastically.

................................................................................................................................................

Rattrap whistled lowly when he finally made it to the battleground.

Silverbolt swore softly as he landed and transformed.

Pieces of Tarantulas and Rampage littered the rocky cliff, although the two Predacons were nowhere in sight. Dinobot, who was badly damaged, was struggling to his feet, but Shadow Stalker lay near the cliff's edge trembling violently.

"Late as usual." the raptor snarled upon seeing Silverbolt and Rattrap.

"Good ta know you're still alive, too." Rattrap replied.

"Do you think you can make it back to the base?" Silverbolt asked, following Dinobot to where Shadow Stalker lay.

"I don't have much choice, do I?" He knelt down beside Shadow Stalker, and gently rolled her onto her back.

She was crying.

"What happened?" Dinobot asked, his tone of voice changing from pissed-off to seriously concerned in a millisecond.

She tried to answer, but couldn't.

Carefully, he picked her up and cradled her protectively.

Shadow Stalker cried out, clutching her stomach.

"What happened ta her?" Rattrap asked, walking over to the trio.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Silverbolt answered, kneeling beside Dinobot.

"Shadow? What happened, baby girl?" Dinobot asked, beginning to get scared.

She drew a shuddering breath, "He raped me."

Author's Note; Thanks to KatDrama for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated! I would have put this up yesterday (5/30), but my entire state was pounded with tornadoes and super-cell thunderstorms from about 10:30 a.m. yesterday until about 5:00 a.m. today (5/31). More to come!


	9. Convalescence

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 9

Convalescence

by Switchblade X

"I feel _so_ nasty." Shadow Stalker said upon exiting the CR chamber. "I shouldn't have let Rampage get that close."

"I should've kept a closer watch on you." Dinobot sighed, wrapping his arms around her. She was still shaking.

"Now, don't start this." Optimus broke in. "No one is at fault here. Shadow Stalker, Rampage is twice your size and three times your strength; Dinobot, you had Tarantulas to deal with."

"Fortunately for you, Shadow Stalker, you managed to tear Rampage up enough to keep him from inflicting serious as well as permanent damage upon you." Rhinox said. "One thing for sure is this; he didn't impregnate you."

"That's good." she quietly replied.

"However, the emotional effects of this might be…substantial."

"Meaning?"

"You'll probably have nightmares."

She nodded, "That's nothing new."

"I'll kill him. I swear it." Dinobot vowed, anger ringing clear in his gruff voice.

"That'll have to wait." Optimus said. "Both of you were wounded and need some down time in order to recuperate. Especially you, Shadow Stalker. Both of you are off-duty until further notice."

"But-" Dinobot started.

Optimus held up a hand, silencing him, "That's an order."

The raptor snarled a bit, "As you wish." He then guided Shadow Stalker towards the hallway that led to her quarters.

Before she passed, Silverbolt gently laid a hand on Shadow Stalker's shoulder.

She stopped and looked at him, tears threatening to spill out onto her cheeks.

He looked at her for a long moment, his optics saying "I'm here if you need me."

She tried to smile as the tears began to stream steadily down her face. And then, she was gone.

Rhinox sighed, shaking his head. "Optimus, what're we going to do? This is the first real rape case I've ever dealt with, and I know none of the rest of you have any experience in this field."

"I don't know, Rhinox." Optimus sighed. "I just don't know."

"…Man, I knew Crabby was sick, but dis…dis is sick on a whole new level!" Rattrap exclaimed.

"It shouldn't surprise us." Cheetor said. "I mean, Rampage should be the first person we think of when we think of rapists. Followed very closely by Tarantulas, of course."

"If Dinobot doesn't kill Rampage first, _I_ will." Silverbolt murmured, unconsciously speaking his thoughts.

All optics were suddenly on him.

"Come again?" Optimus asked.

Realizing what he had done, Silverbolt took half a step back. Then, he decided that it was high time he put his opinion into the mix. "I said; if Dinobot doesn't kill Rampage first, I will. I'm tired of this shit! I'm tired of seeing Rampage hurt everyone and everything he comes in contact with! Shadow Stalker is my friend, and I am _not_ going to let this violation of her honor go unpunished! We need to counterattack _now_!" he declared, slamming his fist down on the table.

"And how exactly are we gonna do dat?" Rattrap asked, covering up his shock at Silverbolt's sudden outburst.

"Waspinator!"

"What?" the remaining four members of the Maximal team asked in unison.

"Waspinator! If he and Shadow Stalker are such good friends, maybe he can help us."

"What makes you think he'll help us?" Optimus asked.

"Instinct. If I can get Shadow to tell me how to get in touch with him, maybe we can get him to lure Rampage into an ambush."

"_If_ you can get Shadow Stalker to tell you." Rhinox pointed out. "Now is probably not the best time to be around her. From what I've heard, being raped is rather traumatic. It leaves you scarred for life."

"Rhinox is right." Optimus agreed. "Shadow Stalker needs to be left alone for a while."

"But we have to do _something_!" Silverbolt half-pleaded.

"I know, I know. We'll do something about this in due time. Right now, though, we really need to focus on helping Shadow Stalker through this."

................................................................................................................................................

Dinobot had given up on holding his own tears back. Seeing Shadow Stalker like this had hurt him worse than any wound ever could. Right now, he was trying desperately to comfort her.

Shadow Stalker had almost cried herself sick by now, but she couldn't stop. She buried her face deeper into his neck, wishing that she could die.

Slowly, Dinobot leaned against the wall, settling himself into a corner. He had finally guided her over to her bed, where they were now seated. His entire back was engulfed in pain; it felt like someone was pouring acid onto him.

"I have dishonored you." Shadow Stalker managed.

"How?"

"Rampage _raped_ me! I'm _yours_! You're the _only_ person I've ever been with! You're the only person I _want_ to be with!" Her voice broke, "I let him get too close. And paid the price for my foolishness."

"You haven't dishonored me, love. And what happened to you wasn't your fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine; I should have kept a closer watch on you."

"But you had your hands full with Tarantulas."

"That's no excuse. I should've been able to take Tarantulas out with little or no problem."

She tried to say something, but lost her composure, breaking into violent sobs yet again.

Tears blurred his vision, and he managed to hold it together for a whole ten seconds longer before he broke down. "Oh Shadow…" he sobbed, "I'm _so_ sorry… How could this happen to you? …How could I _let_ this happen to you?"

"D…" She slowly pulled away, and looked at him, "Don't blame yourself."

"How could I _not_ blame myself? I was fifteen feet away, and I didn't even _know_ what had happened to you until _after_ the battle was over!"

"You couldn't have done anything, anyway." Gently, she wiped the tears from his face, and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I let him get too close. I won't let him get that close _ever_ again."

................................................................................................................................................

It was a whole two days before anyone saw or heard from Shadow Stalker and Dinobot.

"What the heck is going on?!" Cheetor asked, referring to the racket that was permeating the entire ship.

"It's comin' from da trainin' room." Rattrap answered.

"Is anyone in there?"

"Yeah, but I don't know who."

"Let's go, then! It might be something serious."

................................................................................................................................................

As Cheetor and Rattrap entered the observation deck of the training room, they discovered Dinobot standing near the glass. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest; it didn't look like he had noticed them.

Silently, the two Maximals went to stand beside him, curious as to who was using the training room. They noticed that the session had been set on the highest level of intensity as well as difficulty.

Shadow Stalker was currently engaged in battle. A barren desert surrounded her, and Rampage loomed in front of her. Disturbed's _Down With The Sickness_ blared through the stereo system that she had rigged up using spare parts and junk before she had started her session.

Cheetor's optics widened at how agile she was. All of a sudden, Shadow Stalker had become the Maximal version of Blackarachnia.

"Magnificent, isn't she?" Dinobot quietly asked.

"I'll say." the young Maximal replied. He had barely heard Dinobot's question.

"She's movin' pretty good, considerin' da circumstances." Rattrap said. "Where'd she learn dis stuff?"

"Years upon years upon years of training and practice." Dinobot answered, his voice still barely audible.

"How's she doin'?" Cheetor asked after a long pause.

"Better. However, she's not at one hundred percent. …In all honesty, I seriously doubt that she will ever be at one hundred percent again."

Another silence fell, as Linkin Park's _One Step Closer _began to pound through the room.

"Nice system." Rattrap commented. "How'd she do dat?"

Dinobot shrugged, "Things like that come naturally to her. She always was tinkering in the fields of mechanics and electronics, even at an early age. Especially in the auto mechanics field. …She worked at a garage for several years, doing everything from rebuilding transmissions to restoring classic and totaled vehicles to installing stereo systems to designing and putting in fuel injection systems that could handle nitrous oxide."

Cheetor whistled lowly, quickly becoming interested in this part of Shadow Stalker's past. "Ultra gear."

Below them, the battle simulation ended; Shadow Stalker had won.

"Looks like she beat da computer." Rattrap said.

"Beating the computer and beating the real deal are two different things." Dinobot reminded him.

Panting, Shadow Stalker turned and pointed to the observation deck.

Dinobot took a step toward the glass.

She motioned for him to come down.

"Excuse me." he said, heading for the door. "Feel free to observe." As he hurried down the stairs and to the entrance to the training room floor, Dinobot grabbed an unsheathed katana that was leaned against the wall. Upon entering the training room, he tossed it to Shadow Stalker.

She caught it as the beginnings of Godsmack's _Moon Baby_ echoed through the room.

_She _would_ put our song on the play list._ he thought, brandishing his own sword.

With a quick Jedi-like salute, she attacked.

He met her attack with a block, sending sparks flying in every direction. Against his will, he grunted as shock waves ran up his arms and added to the pain that had been steadily growing for a number of days in his back.

"You okay?" she asked, pulling back and beginning to circle with him.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You don't sound sure."

"Well, I am." He lunged.

She caught him with her shoulder, and threw him backward.

"Oof!" he exclaimed, landing hard and sliding several feet across the floor.

Shadow Stalker pounced, pinning him before he could recover. "You're going easy on me." she accused. "Why?"

"You are tired from your battle simulation." he answered, making no attempt whatsoever to get up.

"Oh, for Primus' sake! No self-respecting Predacon would _ever_ go easy on me simply because I'm tired!"

"Then, neither shall I." Before his words had a chance to sink in, he flipped her onto her back and pinned her.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" She brought her legs up, and planted a solid kick to his solar plexus, flipping him over her head.

Meanwhile, back at the observation deck, Rattrap and Cheetor were getting into this. Seeing someone finally match— and maybe even best— Dinobot in battle was something that they had long awaited.

"What _is_ that racket?" Optimus asked, as he, Rhinox, and Silverbolt entered the observation deck.

"Check it out, Big Bot!" Cheetor exclaimed. "Dinobot's gettin' his tail handed to him!"

"What?" He approached the glass, and watched as Shadow Stalker threw Dinobot to the floor yet again.

"Did anybody bring popcorn?" Rattrap asked, watching Rhinox and Silverbolt stand beside him.

"_Stop goin' easy on me!_" Shadow Stalker exclaimed. "Lemmie have it!"

"As you wish." he replied, roaring as he charged her.

She balled her hand into a fist and struck.

Dinobot fell like a sack of grain.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" She dropped to her knees beside him, and helped him sit up. "Did I hurt you?"

He groaned, his hand going to inspect his jaw. "Damn, girl! Where'd you learn to hit like that?"

She grinned sheepishly, "From you."

"Ow."

"I'm _sooooo_ sorry! I did _not_ mean to do that!"

"Sure you didn't."

"I didn't!" She slipped under his arm, helped him stand, and then headed for the exit. "Are you okay?" she asked upon feeling him wince.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. …Aah!"

"No you're not. D, what's wrong?"

He knew that it was useless to try to evade her questions, so he surrendered. "My back is killing me."

"How long have you been like this?"

"Three days? Four at the most? I don't really know; it feels like forever."

"D! Why didn't you _tell_ me?!"

"I don't know. Just…don't tell anyone, okay?"

She heaved a sigh, "Men. …All right, I'll keep my trap shut. But, as soon as no one's around, you're mine."

"Deal."

"Awwww. Did Chopperface get 'is butt kicked by a _girl_?" Rattrap taunted.

"And do you think that you would fare better, vermin?" Dinobot snarled.

"Yeah, actually, I do."

"Fine." He stood aside, "Have at it; I'm done."

Rattrap looked up at Shadow Stalker, who snarled a bit. "Eh, maybe another time."

Dinobot snorted, "Coward."

"Gentlemen, please…" Shadow Stalker said, going over to the control panel beside the door and switching off the stereo system.

"That was impressive." Optimus said.

"Hardly." Shadow Stalker replied. "That was merely a workout. No challenge whatsoever. …Dinobot went easy on me."

"I did not." Dinobot objected.

Shadow Stalker snorted.

"I'd hate to see what you qualify as a challenge." Cheetor said as she walked past him.

She whirled, and glared down at him, growling ominously. Her claws extended and hovered threateningly around his throat, "Not killing _you_ is a challenge! I should rip your central processor out right here, right now! But…I will spare you until another time. A time when you are not on guard."

Optimus put a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to face him. "What are you talking about?"

"Why don't you ask the _child_? I'm sure his wild imagination can jump to some _completely idiotic_ conclusion as to why his life just became considerably shorter." She yanked away, snapped at Cheetor, and stalked off down the hallway.

Dinobot sighed— "Primus, give me strength."— and followed her.

Optimus turned to Cheetor, "Well?"

The cat fidgeted uncomfortably, "I, uh, kinda said somethin' that made her mad."

"Ya think?" Rattrap asked.

"Shut up, Rattrap." Optimus snapped.

Cheetor took a deep breath, and told the rest of the team about the accusations that he had raised against Shadow Stalker.

Silence and stares followed his story.

Silverbolt growled— "You son of a bitch!"— and tackled Cheetor, weapon in hand.

Moving fast, Rhinox yanked the enraged Fuzor off of the stunned cheetah, and held him still.

"How the hell did you come up with that?!" Silverbolt yelled, struggling against Rhinox's strong grip. "What do you take me for, Cheetor?! I would _never_ do that, and you know it!"

"Cool it, Silverbolt!" Optimus ordered.

"No! I've had a _bad_ couple of days, and I'm _not_ going to take any bullshit from anybody, especially him!"

"I said calm down! What's gotten into you? You've been unusually aggressive lately."

"You wanna know what's wrong with me?!" He nodded toward Cheetor, "Shit like that is _exactly_ what's wrong with me! I am _so _fuckin' tired of you, kid!!!" He then looked to Optimus, "Rampage _raped_ Shadow Stalker!! And what are we doing about it? Not a damn thing! If I didn't know better, I'd say you all were trying to ignore this!"

"Now, wait just a minute-" Rhinox started.

"_You_ wait, Rhinox!" Silverbolt interrupted, struggling harder. He turned his anger back on Optimus, "Wake the fuck up, Primal! We have a serious situation on our hands, and nothing is being done about it! Dinobot and I are the _only_ ones who have even _thought_ of possible solutions!"

"Violence isn't going to solve this, Silverbolt." Optimus said as calmly as he could.

"You are such a fuckin' pacifist! Violence started this, and it'll sure as hell end it!"

"That's _enough_!" His patience had just run out, "I have heard more than enough out of you! Now, shut up, or I'll have you knocked into stasis!"

"Do it! Fuckin' do it! I'll even hold still for you!"

For a moment, Optimus' hands shook with barely-controlled anger. "Rhinox, take him to the brig. We'll see how smart-mouthed he is after a few weeks in solitary confinement."

As Rhinox carried him away, Silverbolt barked a laugh, "I knew it! I knew you couldn't do it! You're soft, Primal! Too soft for your own good!"

Optimus sighed heavily after a few moments. "This is great! This is just great! My entire crew has gone insane in a matter of days!"

"Ever'body's just a little stressed right now, dat's all. Dey'll get over it." Rattrap offered.

"I hope so, Rattrap. I _really_ hope so." He shook his head, "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Author's Note; Thanks to KatDrama for the review! It is greatly appreciated! (Yes, we were lucky and didn't get blown away. I live in KY (unfortunately), and we're _still_ getting pounded, just not on the same level that we were last week and weekend.) More to come!


	10. Strike

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 10

Strike

by Switchblade X

Dinobot groaned in absolute ecstasy as Shadow Stalker massaged his back. They were in his quarters this time; he was lying on his stomach on his bed, and she was straddling his thighs. 3 Doors Down's _Away From The Sun_ was playing softly in the background.

"Y'know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you liked this." she smiled.

"You have no idea."

She chuckled. "Are you sure I'm not putting too much pressure on your legs?"

"I'm sure. You're not heavy."

"Says you."

"Shadow…"

"What?"

"What have I told you about saying you're too heavy?"

"I know, I know; There's a whole lotta femmes out there who'd do anything to be my size."

"Right."

She shook her head, smiling, "I swear D, sometimes you act more like my dad than my fiancé."

"_Someone_ has to keep you in line."

"…We're still getting married when we get home, right?"

"Of course. What made you think we wouldn't?"

"I dunno. Just one of those fleeting thoughts, I guess." She put one knee in the small of his back, and gripped his shoulders, "Hold on."

"What're you going-"

She pulled him toward her, popping his spine from tip to tip. The crunch his metal bones made was almost nauseating.

"Primus Almighty!" he exclaimed, as she lowered him. Then, after the initial shock had worn off, "Do that again!"

Again, she chuckled, "I will in a few minutes."

"…You're good at this."

"I know."

He darkened his optics, relaxing beneath her hands. Soon, he began unconsciously making little purring noises.

"…Are you purring?"

"Mmmmmaybe."

"Since when do raptors purr?"

"Since you started this wonderful torture."

She grinned, "You're nuts."

"Oh, _you're_ a fine one to talk! …Up a little."

Her grin only widened as she worked his shoulders for a few minutes, then began to move her hands from the small of his back to his shoulders, applying as much pressure as she could with her palms, while putting equal pressure on his backbone with her thumbs.

He sighed, "Tell me again how you manage to keep such absolute control over me."

"It's actually quite simple. You see, _I_ am female; _you_ are male. And I just happen to know all of your weaknesses."

"And I don't know yours? If my memory serves me correctly, I recall you being a bit on the ticklish side."

"Ha ha. Just remember, _dear_, you're the one on the bottom right now." And with that, she popped his entire spine again.

"GAAAH!" he exclaimed. "A little _warning_ would be nice!"

She laughed, "Sorry."

"The hell you are!"

"Hey, _you're_ the one who let this back problem of yours steadily worsen for Primus knows how long. I just happen to know how to cure it."

He chuckled, "Admit it, Shadow; you're my bitch."

"I beg your pardon!"

His chuckle turned into genuine laughter. It had been a while since he had laughed.

She playfully smacked his leg.

"Hey, now. You might want to watch that."

"You enjoy it, don't you?"

"Maybe."

She snorted in mock-exasperation, "You are _so_ weird."

"And you're not?"

"Oh, touché. You're good at this comeback stuff."

"I've had to live with Rattrap for almost three years; making quick comebacks has become an art." He snarled, "Now _there's_ a 'bot who'd drive anybody to drink."

"You're still sober."

"It takes a great deal of self-control, believe me. …Mmmmmm… You have no idea how good this feels. Thank you. So much."

She leaned forward, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, "Any time, baby. Any time."

................................................................................................................................................

Silverbolt leaned against the red bars of his cage, arms crossed over his chest, legs crossed at the ankles, head down, optics dark. Energy from the bars crackled angrily around him, but he paid it no attention; his back and wings had long ago gone numb from the continuous shocks.

Part of him was absolutely horrified at what had just happened and at what he had said, but another part of him, the part that he kept under lock and key in the darkest recesses of his spark, was glad that this explosion of long-pent-up rage had occurred. It terrified him on a whole new level.

But, perhaps the thing that scared him the most was the fact that he had _enjoyed_ his explosion. He had never felt so powerful! …Still, though, the fact that he had acted completely insolent bothered him. Maybe it was the Predacon in him that had made him lose control…

Was his anger not justified, though? Shadow Stalker had been _raped_ for Primus' sake, and only he and Dinobot were willing to do something about it!

He sighed, deciding to give his body a rest. He transformed, and curled up into a ball in the center of the cage, resting his head on his forepaws. Maybe if he took a nap, he'd be able to think straighter…

................................................................................................................................................

Optimus entered the command center to find Shadow Stalker sitting alone at the table. "Where's Dinobot?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"He's asleep." she answered, not once making optic contact with him.

He nodded, "Ah."

"…I was hoping to find Silverbolt here. Looks like I was wrong."

Optimus chose not to reply to this. He wanted to be kind to her, but couldn't seem to get past his wariness of her. Shadow Stalker was as fierce as Dinobot, and the fact that she was a half-breed didn't help.

"Optimus…Sir, there's something I want to tell you."

"Okay. Shoot."

"I…apologize for my rather immature and overly aggressive behavior. I haven't exactly been a team player since I've been here. …I don't mean to be a bitch, I really don't. It's just…my temper is becoming increasingly difficult to control, and I've got entirely too much on my mind. It clouds my judgment, as well as makes me…difficult to get along with. I don't have anything against you guys, I really don't. It's just…hard for me to interact properly with the faction that more or less ruined my life as well as Dinobot's. ...No offense…

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness, Sir. All I'm asking is that you know how truly sorry I am for my behavior."

He looked at her for a long time. She still hadn't taken her optics off of the steel table. Gently, he put one hand on her shoulder, "Apology accepted, Shadow Stalker. …I know we haven't exactly been the most hospitable and patient group."

"That is understandable. …I don't deserve your philanthropy."

"Yes you do."

"No, I do not. I have been nothing but a burden to you and your people since I came here. It's high time I got myself in gear." Slowly, she stood, "Thank you for your time, Sir."

"No problem. …You're always welcome in the Maximal fold, Shadow Stalker."

"Thank you, Sir." She started to walk away, but stopped, "I knew your ancestor once."

"Prime?"

"Yes. He was a good man and an excellent leader. I have a great deal of respect for him. …Were he around today, he would be very proud of you. …As am I."

Optimus smiled.

She returned it, then literally melted into the shadows.

................................................................................................................................................

Silverbolt awoke when he sensed another presence. He frowned upon seeing that no one was at the glass. Someone _was_ there, though… He stood, wondering if he was going insane.

Slowly, Shadow Stalker melted out of the shadows. She approached the glass, looking somewhat confused.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

"I asked Rattrap." she answered. "What happened?"

"I…I lost it. I just got mad and…went off."

"…Rattrap said Cheetor told you."

"Yes. …Why did you not tell me?"

"I couldn't. I couldn't say anything to anyone without going berserk."

"Does Dinobot know?"

"As of right now, no. I shudder to think of what might happen if he _did_ find out."

He nodded.

Silence fell for a few moments.

"I'll get you out of here, Silverbolt."

He shook his head, "Don't. I need to calm down for a while. …A part of me that I thought was dead has resurfaced. I…need to deal with it."

"…I see."

"Thank you anyway."

She nodded, "If you need me, give me a buzz."

"I will."

Then, just as stealthily as she had appeared, she melted back into the shadows.

He sighed and sat down, "…I will."

................................................................................................................................................

Waspinator had been feeling unusually jumpy lately. Something was amiss; he could feel it in the air. But what? Were the Maximals planning a sneak attack? Was Megatron planning a sneak attack?

…Had something happened to Shadow Stalker?

That last question was the one that stood out the most; the one that he was afraid to think on for very long.

Still, though, what if something _had_ happened to her? Tarantulas and Rampage had returned to the base badly damaged almost three days ago, and Rampage had had a strange look on his face; one of smug satisfaction. What could it have meant?

As much as it sickened him, he decided to radio the Maximal base. Something told him that whatever it was that was wrong involved Shadow Stalker. He _had_ to know if she was all right.

Mumbling to himself about how much slag he would get into if anyone ever found out about this, he went to his quarters, locked the door, disabled the security camera, sat down at his computer, and typed in the codes that would patch him into the Maximal frequency. "Wazzpinator to Maximal bazze. Come in Maximal bazze."

A few moments of static followed, then Cheetor said, "Maximal base here. What do _you_ want?"

"Wazzpinator wantzz to talk to Zzhadow Zztalker."

"She's not here."

"Where izz zzhe?"

"Good question."

He growled softly, "Izz Zzhadow okay? Wazzpinator hazz had funny feeling about her for the lazzt three dayzz. …Pleazze, kitty-bot, tell Wazzpinator how Zzhadow izz."

There was a long pause. He could hear Cheetor conversing with Optimus, but couldn't make out what was being said. Finally, Cheetor came back; "Shadow Stalker was…raped, Waspinator. Almost three days ago."

Waspinator was floored. It took him a moment to recover his wits. "B-by who?"

"Rampage."

As soon as the words left the Maximal's mouth, Waspinator's vision went red with rage. "Whaaat?!"

"It's true."

"Wazzpinator will kill him! Wazzpinator will rip him limb from limb! Wazzpinator will-"

"Waspinator, calm down." Optimus broke in. "You don't need to be involved in this."

"Zzayzz you! Zzhadow izz Wazzpinator'zz bezzt friend! Only friend! Wazzpinator will not let thizz go unpunizzhed! Wazzpinator will find crab-bot and _dezztroy him_!" He cut the connection, grabbed his gun, and headed out the door.

................................................................................................................................................

"D? Deeeeeee?" She nudged his shoulder, "Hel-lo? Is anybody in there?"

He mumbled something unintelligible, and turned his face away from her.

"What?"

"Just five more minutes…"

"Sweetheart, you've been asleep for three hours."

At this, he bolted up, "**_WHAT?!_**"

"Sorry. You're just so cute when you're sleeping…"

Dinobot groaned, and fell unceremoniously backward. He stared up at her, "Why did you let me sleep so long?"

"'Cause you were tired." She leaned forward and kissed him.

"Mmmm… Of course you know," he said between kisses, "I _will_ get you back for this."

"Bring it on, lover boy."

"Maybe I will."

Shadow Stalker was about to reply, when her comm crackled.

"Shadow Stalker, come in." Optimus said.

"Shadow Stalker here." she replied, "What is it, Sir?"

Dinobot raised an eyebrow at her when she called Optimus 'Sir'.

"I'll explain later." she mouthed.

"Waspinator just radioed the base."

"He did?"

"Yes. He was looking for you, but we couldn't find you."

"I've been here all day, Sir."

"You have?"

"Yeah. I'm kinda off-duty until further notice."

"…Anyway, we told him what happened to you-"

"We?"

"Cheetor and I."

"Oh."

"We told him what happened, and he went berserk. He's hunting down Rampage as we speak."

"Oh, Primus. I've got to go after him! Rampage'll tear him to pieces!"

"Now, wait a minute-"

"Please, Sir! Waspy's my friend! He could get hurt! Or worse! Please, Sir, put me back on duty!"

"…Are you up to it?"

"Yes! Oh, Primus, yes!"

"You might need backup. Is Dinobot up to it?"

"Of course I'm up to it!" Dinobot answered, insulted.

"All right. You two can go after him, but _be careful_."

"You got it." Shadow Stalker grinned. "Uh…I just have one tiny little itsy-bitsy question."

"And that is?"

"Since when did you care if Waspy gets scrapped or not?"

"Call it a hunch, but I think we might just have an ally in Waspinator. Now, go get him."

Author's Note; Thanks to Libero H for the review! It is very much appreciated! More to come!


	11. Decision

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 11

Decision

by Switchblade X

Dinobot cast a sidelong glance at Shadow Stalker as she raced along beside him on a mission to save— of all 'bots— Waspinator.

She caught his glance, and winked in return.

He smiled. Shadow was his best friend, aside from being his fiancé. In fact, nine times out of ten, she was his _only_ friend. They had grown up together, stuck together through thick and thin, followed each other literally to the ends of the universe, and now, they were planning on getting married once they returned home. Provided they _got_ home. Or lived to see the day when they would leave Earth.

He remembered the day that he had proposed to her; the day before the Predacon mission was to leave Cybertron. The memory made his smile grow.

"What?" she asked, looking at him closely.

"Nothing. I'm just reminiscing, that's all."

She raised one eyebrow, "Nice time to do that, hun. We're kinda on a mission."

"I know."

She returned her attention to the thinning forest terrain, not wanting to trip over something.

He watched her run, noting how smoothly her muscles moved beneath her glossy black coat. He loved being around her, and it wasn't just because of their relationship.

She had the same love for battle that he did; it was the Decepticon in her, he knew it had to be. And, most of the time, she wasn't thinking and acting like a femme, which made it easier on not only him but also everyone else to interact with her. After all, the only up close experience that the Maximals had had with femmes had been with Airazor, and she was not only dead— rather, _assumed_ to be dead— but hadn't exactly been around a lot.

Shadow Stalker was his confidant. She knew his deepest, darkest secrets, his hopes and dreams, and his fears and flaws. She had always been there for him, and had sworn on her honor that she would always be there for him "come hell or high water". She truly was one in a billion.

And, naturally, he knew everything about her. …Well, except for one thing; her fighting style. Shadow Stalker was the most unpredictable fighter that he had ever met. Usually, after a few moments, he could find a pattern in his opponent's fighting style and use that to his ultimate advantage, but he could never find a pattern in Shadow's style. In fact, sometimes he could swear that she was making her moves up as she went. True, this was an excellent strategy, but it was a bit humiliating when she defeated him in a match.

…In a way, he was glad that they were going after Waspinator. True, he had never liked the bug, but he was Shadow's friend, so that made him slightly tolerable. Dinobot was glad that Shadow had another friend besides Silverbolt. He had nothing against the Fuzor, but in all honesty, the rookie freaked him out a little. Silverbolt kept his mouth shut too much: kept his emotions, thoughts, and opinions to himself too much. That wasn't healthy.

"Heads up!"

"Wha-" He snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see a stray shot heading right for him. Quickly, he jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding being shot.

"You okay?" Shadow Stalker asked.

"I'm fine." he answered, cautiously approaching the tree line, and watching Waspinator buzz furiously around Rampage, firing wildly. Most of the shots smacked harmlessly into the ocean water. He transformed, "When do we attack?"

She transformed and cocked her pistol, "Now."

Rampage's head snapped to the side when Shadow Stalker and Dinobot exploded from the forest, roaring and with weapons ablaze. Quickly, he shot Waspinator down, sending him crashing into Dinobot. "What the bloody-"

Still roaring, Shadow Stalker leapt into the air, executed a quick flip, and came down with her claws extended, slicing through Rampage's armor.

He cackled, grabbing her wrist and lifted her up until her optics were even with his. "Foolish girl! Do you honestly think that a little _scratch_ will stop me?"

She growled and snapped at him, struggling to loosen his crushing grip.

"Oooo, feisty! I like feisty women."

Desperately, she swiped at him with her other hand.

He grabbed that hand, and pinned it with the other. "I took you once, pitiful creature. I can do it again."

"Go to hell, Rampage! I'll see you there!" she roared, head-butting him with all of her might.

"Gaaah!" Rampage exclaimed, dropping her as he staggered backward.

Shadow Stalker grunted when she hit the hard ground, all of the air knocked from her intakes.

Dinobot shoved Waspinator off of his body, and rushed Rampage, sword in hand and blood lust in his optics.

Taken by surprise, Rampage fell backward into the water, as Dinobot buried his sword deep into his chest.

"D!" Shadow Stalker exclaimed, struggling to her feet.

"I would worry more about myself if I were you, little doggie."

She whirled, claws still fully extended, to face Blackarachnia. "Where the hell did _you_ come from?"

Blackarachnia shrugged, "I followed Waspinator. He looked like he was pretty ticked about something. …Why are you and Lizard-lips here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She attacked.

The she-spider caught the wolf, and flipped her over her head. She shook her head, "Shab-by. I expected better from you, especially since you're a Decepticon. Oh, yes, that's right; _you're a half-breed_!"

"**_BITCH!!!_**" Shadow Stalker roared, leaping to her feet and rushing Blackarachnia again.

This time, Blackarachnia was on the receiving end of several hard hits. She tried to execute a quick roundhouse kick, but Shadow Stalker grabbed her ankle, hurled her over her head, and slammed her hard into the ground. She was about to leap back up, but thought better of it when she found herself staring down the business end of Shadow Stalker's pistol. Slowly, she raised her hands in surrender.

"Don't you _ever_ call me a fuckin' half-breed again." she growled before pulling the trigger.

Meanwhile, Dinobot had managed to knock Rampage out. But, he had suffered some damage as a result of that temporary victory. As he staggered out of the water, he collapsed into Shadow Stalker's awaiting arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting down on the beach and cradling him.

"I will be." he answered, as his side sparked.

Waspinator, who had finally managed to pull himself to his feet, sat down beside the couple. "Izz Dinobot okay?" he asked.

"I will be." the raptor repeated.

"Thank you for coming to zzave Wazzpinator." he continued. "Wazzpinator wazz foolish to go after crab-bot on hizz own."

"We all make mistakes, Waspy." Shadow Stalker offered.

"Yezz, but Wazzpinator hazz made _big_ mizztake! Wazzpinator cannot go back to Predacon bazze; Predacons would zzlag him."

"Then…come with us." Dinobot said, as Shadow Stalker helped him stand. She ended up supporting him, and he covered his wound with his left hand. Then, he held out his right hand to Waspinator, who had yet to rise.

Waspinator looked at Dinobot's hand for a long time, unsure of what he should do. He was a Predacon, not a Maximal! …But, two Maximals had just come to his rescue. He couldn't go back to the Predacons, not after what had just happened. His best and only friend was a Maximal…

"You have already proven twice that you are willing to fight for us. _With_ us. Even…die for us. …Come with us, Waspinator. This…may be your only chance."

He looked to Shadow Stalker who was watching him, her optics pleading. Both she and Dinobot had risked their lives to save him not only from Rampage but also from himself. It was then that he reached his decision.

Author's Note; Dun dun dun! Cliffhanger!!! (insert evil laugh here) Thanks to KatDrama for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated! More to come!


	12. Comrade

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 12

Comrade

by Switchblade X

"Shadow Stalker is taking her situation rather well." Optimus said, sitting down beside Rhinox at a computer console. "That's got to be a good sign."

Rhinox shook his head, "Optimus, she's acting like everything's okay in front of other people. I've been flipping through some security files, and I've found her crying several times. Most of the time she's by herself, but sometimes Dinobot's there with her. It's bad enough seeing her like this and knowing that I can't do anything for her, but when he's with her and it gets to him… I tell ya, Optimus, one of the scariest things you'll ever see is Dinobot lose his composure and start cryin'. This has really affected those two. And, I'm afraid it's in a _very_ bad way."

Optimus sighed, "I was afraid of this. …Is there _anything_ that we can do for her? Anything at all?"

"Be nice to her, try not to talk about what happened in front of her, comfort her if she needs it, and try not to make her mad or uneasy, I guess." He looked at his commander closely, "If I remember correctly, you were talking about deactivating her the day of the incident. What made you change your mind?"

"We talked for a while the other day. Or, rather, _she_ talked. She apologized for her behavior and said she'd work on her attitude."

"And you felt sorry for her."

He shifted a bit uncomfortably, "And I felt sorry for her."

At that exact moment, Rattrap sauntered into the command center, munching on an apple. "Afternoon, all." he said, flopping into a chair and switching on the main monitor.

"Hey, Rattrap." Optimus replied. Rhinox nodded.

"Any word from Lady S an' Lizard Lips?"

"No." Rhinox answered. "I was starting to get worried, but a scanner picked up Dinobot's energy signature about ten minutes ago. They should be back any time."

Rattrap nodded, turned his attention back to the monitor, and choked on his apple. "Holy slag!"

"What is it?" Optimus asked, standing.

"We got a Pred at our back door! Readying auto guns!"

Optimus looked over Rattrap's shoulder at the incoming bots. "Hold your fire! It looks like the mission was a success."

"What mission?"

"Dinobot and Shadow Stalker went after Waspinator. Shadow Stalker was hoping Waspinator would defect. Looks like he did."

Rattrap shook his head, "Oooooooh no! I am _not_ puttin' up wit Waspinator! Dere ain't no way!"

"Waspinator could prove to be a major advantage, Rattrap. He knows the Predacon base better than even Dinobot, and he can tell us if Megatron's up to something."

"An' how do you know he'll tell us anythin'? Waspinator's da biggest idiot we've eva come into contact wit! He's lucky ta know up from down! Dere ain't no way we can get anythin' from him!"

Rhinox sighed, "Oh, ye of little faith… You're forgetting one thing, Rattrap; Shadow Stalker and Waspinator are allegedly good friends. If I know Waspinator, he'll tell her anything she wants to know."

"Are you suggesting that we use Shadow Stalker to get information from Waspinator?" Optimus asked.

"If Waspinator won't tell us himself, yes. I'm hoping that we won't have to resort to that, but, if worst comes to worst…"

The elevator lowered, and then came back up with the trio in robot mode. Shadow Stalker and Waspinator were on either side of Dinobot, supporting him as best they could; his wound was beginning to get the best of him.

"Welcome to the _Axalon_, Waspinator." Optimus said, smiling. "I'm glad you decided to join us. We could always use another Maximal."

Waspinator snorted as he helped Shadow Stalker guide Dinobot over to a CR chamber. "Wazzpinator did not join _Maximalzz_, Wazzpinator joined Zzhadow and Dinobot. Wazzpinator hazz sworn fealty to Zzhadow and Dinobot, not Maximalzz."

Shadow Stalker gave Dinobot a quick kiss before she programmed the CR chamber. She said something to Waspinator in a language that none of the Maximals understood.

Although he didn't know what was being said, Rattrap knew the heavily coded Decepticon language when he heard it. Dinobot had spoken Decepticon to Shadow Stalker when she had first arrived, and he had heard the two talking in that particular language on several different occasions.

Waspinator answered her in Decepticon, and stepped into the next CR chamber.

Shadow Stalker programmed it, then fell into a chair with a heavy sigh.

"What'd you say to him?" Optimus asked.

"I told him to cool it." she answered. "I also told him that he needed to be repaired."

"You need repairs, too." Rhinox pointed out.

"I do?" she asked.

He pointed to her right forearm, which had some minor damage.

"Oh. …Huh. Wonder how that got there? Uh, Rhinox, do you have some tools that I can borrow?"

"Sure." He opened a compartment in his hip, and removed the tools that were stored there.

"Thanks." she replied, taking them, and began working on her arm.

"So, what happened out there?" Optimus asked.

"Quite a bit, actually." As she worked on her arm, she retold the whole story. She finished her report at the same time that she finished with her repairs.

"You _can't_ be serious about dis!" Rattrap exclaimed. "For all we know, Waspinator might've been sent here ta spy on us! An' even _if_ he's not a spy, what makes you tink he'll fight wit us?" He shook his head, "Dere ain't no way dat dis can work. Da hatred between da factions runs too deep."

"Just give him some time, okay?" Shadow Stalker asked. "He'll come around, Rattrap; Waspy's too much of a sweetheart to hold a grudge for very long."

"I hope you're right, Shadow Stalker. I really do."

................................................................................................................................................

Later, Shadow Stalker, Dinobot, and Waspinator were lounging around the river that ran beneath the _Axalon_. Waspinator was in the process of reading a data pad from the library, and Shadow Stalker was snuggling up to Dinobot, who was leaning against a rock, half asleep.

Shadow Stalker maneuvered herself between his legs, eased herself down onto his body, rested her head on his chest, and darkened her optics. She sighed contentedly and smiled to herself as he wrapped his strong arms around her. Snuggling with Dinobot was like snuggling with a brick wall, but hey, he was a _warm_ brick wall and he was _her_ brick wall.

"I'm still not used to that."

"Not used to what?"

Apparently, he hadn't realized that he had spoken aloud; he paused for a split second before answering her. "I'm still not used to having this half-organic heart where my fluid pump once was. It feels…aberrant. One would think that I would be used to this constant beating within my chest, but I'm not."

"Oh. Yeah, I know what you mean; these new bodies are seriously weird. But, what can ya do, y'know?" She planted a soft kiss on his chest, "…Besides, I kinda like it. Call me crazy, but I find your heartbeat rather comforting."

"You're crazy." He smiled and began to run his fingers up and down her spine.

Waspinator, who had watched this little romantic moment unfold over the top of his data pad, couldn't help but smile. In a way, he was a bit envious of Dinobot, but in another way, he was happy for him. Shadow deserved the best, in his opinion, and it looked like she had gotten it.

The wasp sighed and went back to his reading. There had been a point in time when _he_ could've been where Dinobot was now, but that had been before the accident in the lab. He had always had a crush on Shadow Stalker, but would never _ever_ admit it. He could have had her once before, but that was then and this was now. Back then, he had been a talented young scientist who had stood a chance of making it big. Now, he was a bumbling scapegoat; he was damaged beyond repair, and could barely take care of himself, much less Shadow Stalker. Not that she _needed_ taking care of…

Well, no, that wasn't true. Not now, anyway. After what Rampage had done to her, Shadow needed all the care she could get. Oh, she would naturally deny her own needs, but deep down, she knew she needed help. Dinobot was the one giving her that care now, not him. It would never be him now, not after the accident.

_I hope you're happy with him, my love._ he thought with a sad sigh. _You deserve the best the universe has to offer, and I hope you get it._

"Well, well. Ain't dis a Kodak moment?" Rattrap asked, transforming.

Cheetor chuckled as he followed suit, "I'll say."

"What do _you_ imbeciles want?" Dinobot growled.

"Nothin'." Rattrap answered, sitting down. "We jus' wanted a breath 'a fresh air, dat's all."

The raptor snorted.

"Whatcha readin', Waspinator?" Cheetor asked, trying to be friendly with his former adversary.

"Juzzt bruzzhing up on nuclear phyzziczz." Waspinator answered, mentally cursing his horrible speech defect.

"Yep, that's way over my head." He sat down beside Rattrap, who was shuffling his deck of cards, "Reading's overrated."

"Reading would do you a world of good, furball." Dinobot hissed. "It might rebuild some of those bran cells that you have lost watching cartoons and playing video games all of your miserable life."

"Ha ha." Cheetor shot back dryly.

"Not to mention that music you listen to." Shadow Stalker commented. "What _is_ that shit?"

"It's called punk rock and pop." he defensively answered. "And I happen to like it."

Rattrap snorted, "Do ya like da music, or do ya like starin' at Britney Spears an' Avril Lavigne?"

"Hey!"

Shadow Stalker gagged, "Oh, Primus! You listen to the biggest slut in the music industry _and_ the biggest poser of all time?"

"There's nothing wrong with Britney or Avril!"

"There's a lotta stuff wrong with Britney. Avril's got a few good songs, but she needs to grow up." She shuddered, "At least you don't listen to Good Charlotte."

"What's wrong with Good Charlotte?"

"Several things." Dinobot answered.

"Good Charlotte scares me." Shadow Stalker said.

Rattrap laughed, "_Good Charlotte_ scares you? _You_ listen ta Marilyn Manson, an' _Good Charlotte_ scares _you_?"

"Yes. Yes, they do. Very much."

"Marilyn Manson is hardly what I would qualify as scary." Dinobot glanced at Waspinator, who was watching this with an amused look on his face. "Well? What do _you_ have to say?"

For a moment, Waspinator was stunned into silence. Then, he became excited; someone was including him in a conversation! "Wazzpinator hazz no preferencezz. Wazzpinator likezz all kindzz of muzzic."

"What's your favorite, though?" Cheetor asked.

"Well…Wazzpinator likezz Weird Al a lot. Doezz that count?"

"That counts. Anything else?"

"…Don't laugh, okay?"

"We won't."

"Wazzpinator likezz the Beatlezz."

"Hey, there's nothin' wrong with a little classic rock-n-roll."

"Ah, yer all way off." Rattrap said. "Now, rap is da way ta go."

"Oh, please." Cheetor groaned.

"Ey, it could be worse. I could listen ta Creed, y'know."

"Now wait just a cotton-pickin' minute!" Shadow Stalker exclaimed, sitting up. "What's wrong with Creed?"

"Yes." Dinobot agreed, also sitting up. "What's wrong with Creed?"

Seeing that they were beginning to tread on thin ice, Cheetor and Rattrap backed down. "Nothin'." Cheetor quickly answered. "Nothin' at all."

"That's what I thought." Dinobot growled, laying back down and taking Shadow Stalker with him.

A few feet above the group, Rhinox and Optimus were making their way down to the river. Optimus chuckled, "Sounds like everything's getting back to normal."

"For now." Rhinox agreed. "…For now."

Author's Note; Thanks to Libero H and KatDrama for the reviews! They are very much appreciated! Libero, as to your inquiry of the Shadow Stalker/Silverbolt relationship; no, Shadow and Silverbolt don't have a thing for each other. Shadow felt she had a sort of kinship with Silverbolt because both of them are obviously genetic wild cards, thus she befriended him. Silverbolt felt the same way. You asked a good question, though. ;) More to come!


	13. Trial

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 13

Trial

by Switchblade X

Waspinator watched the sparring match between Shadow Stalker and Dinobot with little interest. He didn't exactly like watching these things, but as of right now, he had nothing better to do. He hummed idly with Korn's _Bottled Up Inside_, not really following the song, but humming along nonetheless.

Since he had joined the Maximals a week ago, it had rained nonstop. In a way, this was good; it meant he wouldn't have to face his former comrades in battle. But, in a way, it was also bad; it meant he'd have to tolerate the distrust that everyone but Shadow Stalker showed him. Oh, sure the Maximals acted like they trusted him somewhat, but they were far from convincing.

He was beginning to regret his decision. Part of it was because he feared Megatron. Another part of it was because he was a Predacon, not a Maximal. And yet another part of it was because only Shadow Stalker had truly accepted him into the fold. The other Maximals acted like they did, even Dinobot. Dinobot had never liked him, and he knew it; the raptor only tolerated him for Shadow's sake. But, sometimes even Dinobot took up for him when someone was giving him a hard time, especially if Rattrap was involved in the offense.

"I thought I might find you here."

Startled, Waspinator turned to face Silverbolt. "How'd you get here?"

The Fuzor shrugged, "Shadow Stalker talked Optimus into letting me out. …That's another one I owe her."

"Oh." He turned back to the glass.

"I…didn't get a chance to welcome you properly."

Puzzled, he faced Silverbolt again.

Silverbolt held out his hand, "Welcome to the Maximals."

He shook it, "Thank you."

He nodded toward the glass, "Who's winning?"

"I don't know. I haven't really been paying that much attention." Ever since he had gotten away from his old life of constant fear and stress, Waspinator could now think straighter, more logically, more clearly, and more in general. He enjoyed this newfound advantage, and was working diligently on correcting his speech.

Slightly startled at Waspinator's use of correct speech and referring to himself in first person instead of third, Silverbolt glanced at the newcomer for a moment. "Looks like Dinobot's winning."

"Shadow can take him."

He noticed how carefully Waspinator had said Shadow Stalker's name. _So, he's working on correcting his speech defect._ he thought. _Good._ He studied the wasp for a long time, noticing the troubled look on his face. "What's wrong, Waspinator?"

Waspinator shook his head.

"You can tell me. I won't tell anyone."

"…Promise?"

"On my honor."

He took a deep breath, "…I'm scared, Silverbolt."

"Of what?"

"Everything. …I'm afraid I made the wrong choice."

"How? Waspinator, you might've saved your own life by coming here."

"I know. But…I'm afraid of what might happen when I have to fight against the people I fought with for all these years. I…I guess Megatron had more of a hold on me than I thought. I'm more scared of him now than I was then."

"…I see."

"Did…did I do the right thing? Really?"

"I think you did."

He sighed, "I'm not so sure. I mean, you know how dumb I am. I might've just made the biggest mistake of my life."

Silverbolt put his hand on Waspinator's shoulder, "Waspinator, you're not stupid."

"Yes I am."

"No, you're not. You obviously know right from wrong, you're making a _huge_ effort to fix your speech defect, and, for Primus' sake, you've been reading a data pad on _nuclear physics_ for the last week! That's not stupid; that's both brilliance and commitment."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, I'm not. Waspinator, look at me."

He obeyed.

"We all make mistakes. Only Primus is perfect. Yes, you've made mistakes, yes, you've made some pretty bad choices, and, yes, you're badly damaged. But, you can overcome your handicaps, and you can make things _right_. When you took Dinobot's hand and came to us that day, you left your old life behind. Now, you're starting over with a clean slate; you can either learn from your mistakes or make them worse. But, always remember your past life. You _cannot_ run from the past, no matter how hard you try. However, you _can_ learn from it. You're a brilliant scientist, Waspinator. Learn from your past. You will go far."

For a long time, Waspinator looked at Silverbolt. What he had just heard had made more sense to him than anything ever had before.

Silverbolt was also soaking in everything that he had just said. For once, he had made _sense_. …Perhaps he should take his own advice; it might help him in the long run as well as put his personal demons to rest.

"Thank you, Silverbolt." Waspinator whispered after another moment, putting his hand over the Fuzor's. "You have no idea what you've just done for me."

"Any time, my friend. Any time."

................................................................................................................................................

Cheetor hated being on monitor duty alone. He didn't used to hate it; he used to slack off and sleep when he was on monitor duty alone. Now, though, he was afraid to be anywhere on his own.

Shadow Stalker _would_ kill him. When, where, and how, he didn't know, but he _did_ know that his death was inevitable. Shadow Stalker was not known to go against her own word. She'd have her revenge. Eventually.

Hell hath no fury like woman scorned.

Silverbolt was also out for his blood. But, Cheetor knew that he had a better chance at beating Silverbolt than he did at beating Shadow Stalker. Silverbolt was, at times, too honorable for his own good; this could be used to an advantage. Shadow Stalker, on the other hand, also had a sense of honor, but it didn't involve going easy on a kid that wasn't even half her age, much less her size.

And what if Dinobot ever found out about his little false accusations? There would be no evil looks like he got from Silverbolt. There would be no constant terror, no jumping at every little sound, no avoiding the shadows like there was with Shadow Stalker. No, Dinobot would kill him outright. There would be no mercy.

_What a fine mess I've gotten myself into!_ Cheetor thought miserably, looking at the pistol that he now kept with him while he was on monitor duty alone. _I'm screwed either way I go! --_sigh-- _Me 'n my big mouth._

Something moved in the shadows of the main hallway.

Cheetor spun around, gun drawn. If it was Shadow Stalker, there would be _no way_ that he could get a decent shot off before she had him. But, at least he would go down fighting. If it was Silverbolt, he might stand a better chance…

"Geez, jumpy, ain't we?" Rattrap asked, entering the command center with his hands raised.

Cheetor sighed in relief, and put the gun back down. "You had me scared there, Ratface."

"Eh, it don' take much ta scare you nowadays." Rattrap sat down beside him. "Makin' Shadow Stalker mad was prob'ly da dumbest ting you've done in a while. Not ta mention tickin' Bolt off."

"Tell me about it. I'm so paranoid, I can't sleep!"

The rat shrugged, "Hell hath no fury like woman scorned, I guess."

Thunder roared outside, making the cheetah jump.

Rattrap laughed.

"Don't laugh at me, Rattrap! I'm really scared now! Shadow Stalker's gonna kill me if it's the last thing she ever does!"

"You ain't worried 'bout Bolt?"

"Not really. I have more of a chance at beating Silverbolt than I do at beating Shadow Stalker."

He shook his head, "Man, when you screw up, you do it real good. …Your shift's over, kid. Get some sleep, okay?"

"That's easy for you to say; you don't have one of the Four Horsemen out to get you." He stood with a sigh, "G'night, Rattrap."

"'Night, kid. An' don' worry; Lady S won't kill ya if she knows witnesses are present." He nodded toward the security camera that was positioned in the doorway.

"How do you know?"

He shrugged, "I don't."

................................................................................................................................................

"It's been a week, Megatron. He's not coming back." Blackarachnia said.

"I don't understand!" Megatron lamented. "Waspinator was one of the most loyal Predacons I've ever met! What made him defect?"

"Shadow Stalker." Tarantulas answered. "That miserable mutt has been nothing but trouble to us ever since she got here!"

"Yess, the half-breed." He rubbed his chest at the memory of her most recent attack on him, "Hmmm…"

"It's Rampage's fault." Blackarachnia continued. "If he hadn't 've had his 'fun' with Shadow Stalker, we might not have lost Waspinator."

"Now wait just a-" Rampage started, but was interrupted by Megatron squeezing the box that held part of his spark.

"The spider is right, Rampage." Megatron smoothly said. "_You_ cost us a warrior."

"Oh, please! Waspinator was cannon fodder!"

"But he was _useful_ cannon fodder! Waspinator made perfect bait! And, because of you and your ridiculous urges, we have lost him, yesss."

"But-"

"Silence!" he roared, squeezing the spark box again.

Rampage fell to his knees, clutching his chest.

"There will be no more 'playing' with the half-breed. Understand?"

Struggling to breathe, he nodded.

"Good. And as for the rest of you, there will be no more defections, no."

"Of course not!" Blackarachnia acted as though she was repulsed by the idea of rebellion.

"Yes, yes, of course not!" Tarantulas agreed.

"Good. Now, call Quickstrike and Inferno in from patrol. As amusing as it would be, we can no longer afford to have one of them get struck by lightning, no."

................................................................................................................................................

Dinobot awoke with a small gasp. Quickly, he glanced around his room, making sure that he was alone.

He wasn't.

Two blood red optics stared up at him.

Involuntarily, he jumped.

"Are you okay?"

He relaxed, finally coming to his senses. "I'm fine." he replied, kissing her forehead.

"Nightmare?"

"Unfortunately."

"Are you okay?"

"You asked that already."

"I know. I'm just asking again to be sure."

He smiled, "I'm fine, love."

"You don't sound fine. What's wrong, D?"

"Excuse the _Star Wars_ reference, but, I sense a disturbance in the Force."

................................................................................................................................................

Waspinator sat alone on the roof of the _Axalon_, pondering his current situation instead of taking his shift at the monitors like he was supposed to. Not that there _was_ anything to monitor other than the storm.

He ignored the rain that hit him so hard it hurt, ignored the wind that threatened to blow him off of the ship at any given moment, ignored the thunder that roared so loud overhead it shook the Earth herself, and ignored the lightning that was beginning to dance too close for comfort.

He was thinking about his decision now more than ever. If he returned to the Predacons now, during this storm, he might not be missed here for quite some time. …But, that would break Shadow Stalker's heart, and hurting her in any way was the absolute _last_ thing he wanted to do. Shadow and Dinobot had risked their lives to save his! He couldn't just up and leave them!

…But…what would happen when he had to fight the Predacons? How could he open fire on the people who he had once fought with? …Had he not opened fire on Rampage a week ago? Wasn't that qualified as betrayal?

Rampage deserved it, though! He had _raped_ Shadow, for Primus' sake! Did that not merit at least a little vengeance? …Rampage had been his comrade, however. The fact that he and Rampage had once fought side by side, and the fact that _he_ had fired the first round automatically made his "vengeance" a betrayal.

"Is nothing ever simple?" he asked the storm.

"When you look at the grand scheme of things, no."

Waspinator gulped, and spun around to face his former commander. "M-megatron! What bringzz you here?" At once he mentally cursed himself for letting his old form of speech resurface.

"Why, I was looking for you."

"_You_ were looking for Wazzpinator? Why?" _No, damnit! Don't let your nerves get the best of you! Control yourself!_ he thought, trying desperately to stop shaking.

"Ah, my dear Waspinator. Do you not understand how important you are to us?"

"Important? How?"

"Um…" Megatron hadn't been expecting that question. "Why, your warrior skills, of course!"

"Warrior skillzz? Wazzpinator izz cannon fodder, and you know it! Megatron doezz not want Wazzpinator back! Megatron juzzt wantzz zztrategic advantage over Maximalzz!" Unbeknownst to Megatron, Waspnator had activated a signal that he and Shadow Stalker had installed into their commlinks. In a few moments, reinforcements should arrive. He hoped.

................................................................................................................................................

"D? D, wake up!"

"Mmmm…what?"

"Remember that disturbance you sensed?"

"Of course. What about it?"

"I think I just found out what it was."

................................................................................................................................................

Megatron sensed a presence behind him. However, when he glanced backward, he saw nothing. …Still, though, someone _was_ there.

_The half-breed!_ he suddenly realized, spinning around.

The presence was gone.

"What's wrong, Megatron? You act as though you've seen a ghost."

The Predacon turned back to face Waspinator, who now had two sets of red optics hovering in the air beside him. "What the…"

"Aren't electro-disruptors marvelous little devices?" Shadow Stalker asked, as she and Dinobot melted into existence on either side of Waspinator.

"You!" Megatron exclaimed.

"What do you want, Megatron?" Dinobot demanded.

"Why, I want nothing but Waspinator, yess. You see, I am afraid that he is confused; he thinks he's on _your_ side. Poor thing. You know how he is. Now, if no one objects, I'll just take my soldier back." He took a step forward, but stopped when Shadow Stalker and Dinobot moved in front of Waspinator.

"Waspy's not confused, Megatron. He's one of us now, whether you like it or not. Now, you can either leave in one piece or several; your choice." Shadow Stalker said, cocking her pistol.

Megatron sighed, "Nothing is ever easy with you two, is it?" And with that, he attacked.

................................................................................................................................................

As one, the remainder of the Maximal crew awoke at the sound of gunfire and a body hitting the roof. Scrambling up, they headed to the command center, where the most of the noise was coming from.

"What the slag is goin' on?" Cheetor asked. "And where the heck is Waspinator?"

"He's on da roof!" Rattrap exclaimed, pointing to the monitor's screen. "So's Lady S, Chopperface, _an'_ Megatron!"

"What?" Optimus demanded.

"Should I try ta get da auto guns online?"

"No. We can't risk hitting one of our own."

"What're we gonna do, den?"

At that moment, Megatron swiped at Shadow Stalker, knocking her gun from her hand and knocking her off balance. She disappeared over the side of the ship.

Dinobot rushed Megatron from behind, but the tyrant knew he was coming. Before he could stop on the rain-slicked metal, the Maximal was blown backward by a blast from Megatron's tail gun. He landed dangerously close to the edge.

"And now," Megatron growled, turning to Waspinator, who was huddling near the place where Shadow Stalker had disappeared, "for you."

Waspinator was trembling violently. He knew what torment would await him if Megatron ever got his hands on him. Desperately, he looked around, trying to find _something_ that he could defend himself with. His optics fell on Shadow's gun. Quickly, he grabbed it and leaped to his feet.

Megatron watched this desperate attempt with amusement. Did Waspinator really think that he stood a chance at victory?

Shakily, Waspinator leveled the pistol at Megatron's chest. It was then he noticed that this gun had no stun setting. It didn't have _any_ settings! Well, it had _one_ setting; kill. That would have to do, even though he didn't want to kill his former leader.

Megatron laughed. "Do you honestly think that you can hit me, Waspinator?"

He didn't answer.

"You're weak. Powerless. Inferior. You don't even have enough control over yourself to hold that gun straight. You always were a coward. And now, I intend to rid the universe of your pestilence." He leveled his tail gun at Waspinator's head, "Goodbye, you treacherous little insect."

"NOOO!" Waspinator screamed, squeezing the trigger for all he was worth.

The blast hit Megatron with enough force to knock him out of sight.

Trembling, Waspinator sunk to his knees.

Regaining consciousness, Dinobot scrambled to his feet and rushed over to where he had last seen Shadow Stalker. "Shadow!" he called.

"Down here!"

He looked down to see her clinging to the side of the _Axalon_, her claws buried deep within the ship's metal hull.

"A little help would be nice." she said, struggling to hold on.

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Waspinator walked slowly toward his quarters, having just come from Optimus' office. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt more like crap. He had almost cost the entire Maximal team their base! And he was fairly sure that he would be hearing about it for quite some time.

Something growled behind him.

Before he had a chance to react, Waspinator found himself pinned against a wall face to face with Dinobot. The raptor's hand was clenched tightly around his neck.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Dinobot demanded.

Waspinator tried to answer, but couldn't even manage a squeak of pain around the other 'bot's crushing grip.

"If you _ever_ pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you myself! You might be Shadow Stalker's friend, but that does _not_ make you my friend. I have spared you thus far only for her sake." He dropped his captive, a look of disgust on his face.

Unable to stand, Waspinator collapsed to his knees, clutching his throat and struggling to draw a full breath.

Dinobot started down the hallway, but stopped and turned to face Waspinator once more. "And one more thing."

Weakly, Waspinator looked up at him.

"Shadow Stalker is **_mine_**."

Author's Note; Thanks to Libero H for the review! It is very much appreciated! More to come!


	14. Courage

Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 14

Courage

by Switchblade X

Silverbolt watched the sparring match between Dinobot and Shadow Stalker with growing concern. Dinobot was mad about something, and it showed; he was going unusually hard on Shadow Stalker. Sensing that something bad was going to happen, he left the observation deck, and rushed toward the training room.

Shadow Stalker tried to execute a quick snap-kick, but Dinobot grabbed her ankle, slung her around, and sent her flying toward a nearby wall. She cried out once when she hit the wall, leaving a huge dent in the metal, fell face first to the floor, and lay still.

"Oh, shit." Dinobot said, realizing that he had just screwed up big time. Quickly, he rushed to her side.

"Don't touch her!" Silverbolt commanded as he ran across the training room floor.

"Don't tell me what to do!" the raptor snapped as the Fuzor fell to his knees beside him.

"Shadow?" Silverbolt asked, ignoring Dinobot. "Shadow, can you hear me?"

She didn't respond.

"Oh, Primus. Shadow?!"

Beginning to get _really_ scared, Dinobot reached out, and gently rolled Shadow Stalker onto her back. "Shadow?" he asked, noticing a small stream of mech-fluid that was running from one corner of her mouth.

"Shit." Silverbolt tapped his commlink, "Silverbolt to Rhinox."

"Rhinox here. What's up, Silverbolt? You sound worried."

"I…I think Dinobot just hurt Shadow Stalker."

"What?"

Quickly, he glanced at the older warrior, who was completely wrapped up in checking for Shadow Stalker's pulse. "I think Dinobot just hurt Shadow Stalker. They were sparring, and…there was an accident."

"Is she badly damaged?"

"I don't know. She's bleeding internally, that much I know."

"Bring her to the lab."

"The lab? Why not the CR chamber?"

"I need to see how badly she's injured; I might need to do some repairs before we put her in the CR chamber. Now, hurry!" The link went dead.

Silverbolt looked at Dinobot, "You should learn to be more careful, Dinobot; women are very fragile creatures."

"That…shows how much you know…'bout this woman." Shadow Stalker rasped, pushing herself into a sitting position and wiping away the mech-fluid from her mouth with the back of her hand. "I don't break that easily."

Carefully, Dinobot scooped her up and headed out of the room, murmuring his apologies to her.

Quickly scrambling up, Silverbolt followed the couple out.

................................................................................................................................................

"Well, aside from the fact that half of your ribcage is shattered, you're in one piece." Rhinox said. "Though I don't see how; the angle at which you hit that wall would've killed anyone else."

Shadow Stalker tried to shrug, "It takes more than a wall to kill me."

"Apparently." He sighed, "Silverbolt, take her to a CR chamber. I need to have a little talk with Dinobot about how much bigger he is in comparison to Shadow Stalker."

Silverbolt nodded, gently picked Shadow Stalker up, and headed for the door.

Dinobot growled loudly. The mere idea of someone else touching Shadow Stalker made his mech-fluid boil.

"He's not going to do anything to her." Rhinox said, as the door hissed shut behind Silverbolt.

"I don't care." Dinobot snarled. "Shadow Stalker is _mine._ This whole thing was _my_ fault; I should be in his place."

"True as that is, you and I have a little talking to do."

................................................................................................................................................

"I'm not made of glass, you know."

"In your current state, m'lady, you might as well be."

She sighed in surrender, and rested her head against his shoulder. "Whatever you say, Silverbolt. Whatever you say."

"…Why do you let Dinobot knock you around like that?"

"I don't."

"Shadow…"

"Are you suggesting that Dinobot is abusive?"

"No. It's just…well, when he gets mad, people get hurt. He was mad about something when he threw you into that wall."

"Okay, first off, that was a sparring match; you're _supposed_ to go all-out. Second: he's still pissed about Waspy's little encounter with Mega-butt last night. And third; D has _never_ intentionally hurt me."

"I know. Frankly, I don't know how he trains with you; I could never bring myself to strike a female."

"Sweetheart, you're a bit to chivalrous for your own good sometimes."

He smiled, "I know. It's a fatal flaw, I'm afraid."

She grinned, "Don't worry so much, okay? It's not healthy."

"I can't help but worry sometimes. I mean, we're in the middle of a war; one tends to worry about his comrades."

"Yeah, that's true."

He glanced down at her, "Are you in pain?"

"Nah. I've taken harder knocks than this. And dished 'em out. Ask D; he's been on the receiving end of a few good licks from me."

"We're almost there."

"Good. …Thanks for carrying me, Sir Galahad."

Again, he smiled, "The honor is mine, m'lady."

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As soon as Shadow Stalker exited the CR chamber, Dinobot was scooping her up into a tight hug. He began rattling off apologies, but she silenced him with a gentle kiss.

"Mmmm." he groaned, all of his worry dissolving into nothingness in that one instant.

"It's okay, D." she said, relaxing against his powerful body. "I know you didn't intentionally hurt me."

"But-"

Gently, she pressed a finger over his lips, "Shhh. All that's over with and done. Let's move on, okay?"

He sighed in surrender, "All right, all right. You win."

Behind them, the radio crackled, and Cheetor's voice filled the command center, "Cheetor to base! Base, come in!"

Pulling away from Shadow Stalker, Dinobot went over to a console, "Base here. Go ahead."

"I need backup ASAP!"

"Where are you?"

"Grid Delta, coordinates nine-oh-six-point-four-four-two. I--AAH!" There was an explosion and the link went dead.

"Cheetor?" Dinobot asked.

Static answered him.

"Cheetor!"

Still static.

"Shit!" Quickly, he switched channels, "Dinobot to Optimus."

"Optimus here, go ahead."

"Cheetor just called for backup. Shadow Stalker and I are going after him."

"All right. Take Waspinator with you."

"But-"

"That's an order." The link went dead.

Grumbling to himself, Dinobot radioed Waspinator. "Base to Waspinator."

"Waspinator here. Go ahead, base."

"Cheetor just called for backup. Shadow Stalker and I are going after him. Optimus said to bring you along."

"Okay. Where is Cheetor?"

"Grid Delta, coordinates nine-oh-six-point-four-four-two."

"I'm close by right now; I'll see you there. Waspinator out."

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Cheetor never thought he'd live to see the day when he was glad to see Waspinator.

"Dinobot and Shadow Stalker are on the way." he said as he landed beside the wounded cheetah, who had been taking shelter behind a rock.

"Good." Cheetor replied.

"Are you badly wounded?"

"I've been worse."

Before Waspinator could say anything else, the rock was blown to pieces, sending both of them flying. Cheetor landed several yards away; he didn't get up. "Cheetor!" Waspinator cried, scrambling up and rushing to his comrade's side.

Blackarachnia cackled, "Awww, how cute! The traitor has a friend!"

Before he could stop himself, Waspinator whipped out his pistol and snapped off a shot at her.

With a small yelp, Blackarachnia went down.

Quickstrike and Inferno opened fire on the two Maximals, Inferno shouting "For the Royalty!", and Quickstrike hollering "Yee-haw!"

Trying to protect Cheetor, Waspinator took some pretty hard hits. He fell, but managed to climb to his knees and return fire. _Where are you, Shadow?_ he wondered.

"I will bring your lifeless carcass to the Royalty as a trophy, traitor to the Colony!" Inferno declared.

"Kiss my striped ass!" Waspinator yelled, firing several rounds at the ant while dodging the shots that came at from Quickstrike.

Cheetor managed to sit up and take Quickstrike out with a single shot before collapsing again.

Inferno started in for the kill, but was knocked out by a green laser bolt to the head.

_Dinobot!_ Waspinator thought, relieved that help had finally arrived.

"Waspy!" Shadow Stalker exclaimed, rushing to him.

"You're a bit late." he said as she helped him stand.

"Yeah, sorry. But, it looks like you did a good job by yourself."

"Waspinator did great." Cheetor said before Dinobot picked him up and draped him over one shoulder.

The wasp smiled sheepishly, and was about to reply when he saw the amount of damage that had been inflicted upon his former comrades. He stared at the broken bodies, beginning to tremble. _He_ had done most of that. _He_ had seriously damaged three of the 'bots that he had once fought beside. If one of them died, it would be _his_ fault.

"Waspy?" Shadow Stalker asked, bending down in front of him so that she could look him straight in the optics. "Waspy, are you okay?"

"I-" he managed, before breaking down into sobs and throwing his arms around her.

"Whoa. What's wrong?" She put her arms around him, trying to comfort him.

"I hurt them, Shadow." he said between sobs, burying his face in her shoulder. "I hurt the people that I once fought so hard with. Just like I hurt Megatron the other night."

"Oh, Waspy." She leaned her head against his, "You didn't have any choice. I can guarantee that they wouldn't have thought twice before hurting you."

"I've never been so scared in my whole life." Waspinator continued.

Dinobot rolled his optics, watching Waspinator's breakdown with disgust.

Shadow Stalker shot Dinobot a look that told him to keep his mouth shut. "I know. …But, you gotta remember, Waspy; everyone must face their fears at one point in time."

He sniffled, "I know."

"You did that today. And you came through just fine."

Author's Note; Nobody reviewed chapter 13, so I can't say my thank-yous. =( More to come.


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